It is interesting to note that I am on record as not being the biggest fan of online poker. I will still play today in freerolls and try to accumulate free money when I have the time. For the most part however, I will not invest any of my own money online anymore.
Part of my original concern was that it was a program. It was something that I have absolutely no control over. The other aspect of it is that poker has a large trust element involved. I have to trust that everything that is happening is genuine. I have to believe that there is no questionable practices involved. Sometimes with what I have seen, it gets difficult to maintain that trust level.
When online poker became huge with the boom of the past six or seven years, it didn't take long before "celebrity" endorsements became the norm. Now, you can't turn on a tournament or some kind of poker event without it being either sponsored by some online company or without seeing tons of promotion for online sites. Most of this is perpetuated by some of the more popular pro players that are regular fixtures at these events.
Consequently, I was under the belief that in all likelihood these guys don't play online with their own money. I was of the opinion that much of the cash they are playing with online, is provide for by the site they are playing at. After all, their regular appearances on the site make for good promo.
That being said, an interesting trend has developed and has become "news" in the poker world. One of the Full Tilt pros has been having some trouble as of late. Apparently, Patrick Antonius is in the hole online for over a million. To most people walking around, including those trying to grind it out in the beginnings of their poker careers, a million is a sizable chunk of change. However, I would imagine that although nobody likes to lose, it isn't necessarily that devastating to Antonio.
It is also online. It may very well just be credit numbers. He is obviously involved in some kind of endorsement deal with the site. I wonder if it is even his own money? Or even if it is money at all? I know that sounds strange but what is even stranger is that one of the endorsed pros on the site is starting to look like one of their biggest online losers. Apparently, there are only a few players in the hole for more.
This is all kind of odd. I don't imagine it is considered the best promotion for the site when one of its pros is hurting that bad. After all, if Antonius can't win online, what chances do most other players have. Why would a pro stick around and keep tossing off stacks of his hard earned coin online when he could save it for more optimum circumstances? It is strange.
Then again, it may just be brilliant marketing. The news of Patrick's struggles may attract more eyes and in turn result in new player accounts. Perhaps people who didn't know about that particular website are now considering trying it out. Anything is possible. It is peculiar and will be interesting to see if as time passes, more pros fall into the same kind of online disarray.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Poker Tournament News
The EPT in Budapest continued with day 1b showing a new leader by the end of the day's action. Mauro Corsetti took the lead with 135,000 in chips. Several of the rushing frenchmen were eliminated as well as some notable favorites. Hitting the rail were Noah Boeken, Max Pescatori and Julian Thew. Thew probably took one of the more impressive beats of the day having flopped a seemingly unbeatable set of threes only to be crushed by an even more impressive flopped set of tens.
It should make for an interesting coming together as the chip leaders from both starting days come together for the official day 2. I of course will wait for the results to come in because to be honest, this tournament is far away and I am busy with some other things. How about that for honesty.
I was also thoroughly impressed with Clonie Gowen's win of the World Poker Open Main Event. She managed to smash through the predominantly male dominated field to take the title. I should say I thought for the longest time that she wasn't as good as some believed but she has definitely shown her chops. Impressive, that only she and Phil Helmuth have won the Poker After Dark weekly three times. I will say that along with several other of her achievements, she is definitely a player worth watching. She will in all likelihood, continue to post some impressive victories. Go Clonie!
It should make for an interesting coming together as the chip leaders from both starting days come together for the official day 2. I of course will wait for the results to come in because to be honest, this tournament is far away and I am busy with some other things. How about that for honesty.
I was also thoroughly impressed with Clonie Gowen's win of the World Poker Open Main Event. She managed to smash through the predominantly male dominated field to take the title. I should say I thought for the longest time that she wasn't as good as some believed but she has definitely shown her chops. Impressive, that only she and Phil Helmuth have won the Poker After Dark weekly three times. I will say that along with several other of her achievements, she is definitely a player worth watching. She will in all likelihood, continue to post some impressive victories. Go Clonie!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Poker Online Sit and Go Tournaments
Yesterday I decided to take a swing at a few sit and go tournaments. It has always been the one kind of play I enjoyed consistently online. I always enjoyed the aspect of the final table as well as the fact that if you finish in the top three, you are in the money.
Back a few years ago when I used to play more frequently online and actually believed it was a viable source of an income stream for me, I would hit up the sit and gos on a regular basis. Originally, when I was playing at a particular site where I tended to have a winning record, these single table tournaments were good to me. I found that people played loose, made a lot of mistakes and it wasn't long before I was in contention to finish in the money. I enjoyed it.
I feel like things have changed. Again, this is a computer program we are talking about so I know it is odd to say it feels like things are different but it really did feel that way. The play seems to be the same from the players. It has remained loose and unpredictable. The outcomes and the combinations are what seem very different.
For example, I was sitting with pocket kings in late position and saw an early position raiser boost it up to three times the big to continue, followed immediately by another player who pushed all in. Now this always drives me a little insane online but I have come to expect it of the sit and go tournaments. What made me think about it for a couple moments was that it was still early and there was no reason to risk my whole stack. I figured I might just sit and wait for the maniacs to play each other out. My patience got the better of me and I just decided to call, knowing full well there was only one hand that was beating me at that moment.
I should tell you, I always expect the ace to hit in situations like this, having put one of these two nut jobs on A,K. Anyway, the first raiser called the all in and our hands were exposed before the flop came down. The first guy had pocket jacks, the all-in nut job had pocket eights and I was feeling a little better. I was immediately expecting to see an eight on the flop. Turns out it came down A, 2, 10, and I was feeling even better. Please note, the A did hit.
I ended up winning the hand and actually going on to place second in the tourney. I mention this story not to share in my message of play tight and aggressive and it will pay off. Rather, the scenario that continued to unfold during the course of this one sit and go. That showdown of players with pocket pairs happened four times during that one tournament. Each time there were at least three players involved. I can't remember the last time I saw so many hands where three players were dealt pocket pairs at the same time in the same game during such a short period of time.
Back when I used to play more frequently, that never seemed to happen as frequently. It did make stop and wonder each time I saw it happen. It just seems like these long shot combinations of hands are far more frequent online. Then again, maybe I've just learned how to pay attention. Let me know about your experiences.
Back a few years ago when I used to play more frequently online and actually believed it was a viable source of an income stream for me, I would hit up the sit and gos on a regular basis. Originally, when I was playing at a particular site where I tended to have a winning record, these single table tournaments were good to me. I found that people played loose, made a lot of mistakes and it wasn't long before I was in contention to finish in the money. I enjoyed it.
I feel like things have changed. Again, this is a computer program we are talking about so I know it is odd to say it feels like things are different but it really did feel that way. The play seems to be the same from the players. It has remained loose and unpredictable. The outcomes and the combinations are what seem very different.
For example, I was sitting with pocket kings in late position and saw an early position raiser boost it up to three times the big to continue, followed immediately by another player who pushed all in. Now this always drives me a little insane online but I have come to expect it of the sit and go tournaments. What made me think about it for a couple moments was that it was still early and there was no reason to risk my whole stack. I figured I might just sit and wait for the maniacs to play each other out. My patience got the better of me and I just decided to call, knowing full well there was only one hand that was beating me at that moment.
I should tell you, I always expect the ace to hit in situations like this, having put one of these two nut jobs on A,K. Anyway, the first raiser called the all in and our hands were exposed before the flop came down. The first guy had pocket jacks, the all-in nut job had pocket eights and I was feeling a little better. I was immediately expecting to see an eight on the flop. Turns out it came down A, 2, 10, and I was feeling even better. Please note, the A did hit.
I ended up winning the hand and actually going on to place second in the tourney. I mention this story not to share in my message of play tight and aggressive and it will pay off. Rather, the scenario that continued to unfold during the course of this one sit and go. That showdown of players with pocket pairs happened four times during that one tournament. Each time there were at least three players involved. I can't remember the last time I saw so many hands where three players were dealt pocket pairs at the same time in the same game during such a short period of time.
Back when I used to play more frequently, that never seemed to happen as frequently. It did make stop and wonder each time I saw it happen. It just seems like these long shot combinations of hands are far more frequent online. Then again, maybe I've just learned how to pay attention. Let me know about your experiences.
Day One of EPT in Budapest
Day 1a of the EPT in Budapest has been completed. The organizers of the event attempted to cap the registration at 500 players but the interest and traffic heading into this first time venue was overwhelming. They agree to expand it to 540.
After the first day the field has been narrowed down to 90. Included in the group of superstars felted and out are Marcel Luske and Barry Boatman. It is unfortunate because Luske always brings so much personality to every event he participates in. We'll have to keep an eye on his protege the young Mr. B. Not even sure if he is still in as we are writing this but we'll know soon enough.
It is definitely one for the women as the first day wrapped up. Annette Obrestad stands above the pack with the lead and is the only player currently with more than 100K in chips. She is followed by Arnaud Mattern and Sorrel Mizi.
I'm not going into too much detail as far as exact chip totals and what happened with what hand and who got popped at the bubble. This is poker. It is the EPT in Budapest and everything can change on a dime. The London leg of this tour saw daily leaders eliminated on following days so there's no parade yet.
Stay tuned, it promises to be a pretty good tournament. Then again, we're not there so how good can it really be?
After the first day the field has been narrowed down to 90. Included in the group of superstars felted and out are Marcel Luske and Barry Boatman. It is unfortunate because Luske always brings so much personality to every event he participates in. We'll have to keep an eye on his protege the young Mr. B. Not even sure if he is still in as we are writing this but we'll know soon enough.
It is definitely one for the women as the first day wrapped up. Annette Obrestad stands above the pack with the lead and is the only player currently with more than 100K in chips. She is followed by Arnaud Mattern and Sorrel Mizi.
I'm not going into too much detail as far as exact chip totals and what happened with what hand and who got popped at the bubble. This is poker. It is the EPT in Budapest and everything can change on a dime. The London leg of this tour saw daily leaders eliminated on following days so there's no parade yet.
Stay tuned, it promises to be a pretty good tournament. Then again, we're not there so how good can it really be?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Pocket Tens Poker Showdown is Eerily Familiar
Decided to try to boost some residuary online earnings this past weekend so I competed in a NL Holdem event. For those of you who have caught a couple of my earlier articles regarding online play, you would have discovered I'm not the biggest fan. That's not to say I still don't find it entertaining.
That being said, I was moving along at a relatively good pace and playing some solid poker. That just means I was keeping it tight and doing my best not to freak out when three players show down huge pocket pairs all against each other... again.
I was in late position with a good size stack when an opponent second to under the gun raised up going about two and half times the big blind. Every body folded around to me and I decided to flat call with pocket tens and see what the flop brought.
At this point I was already concerned that he was sitting with a larger pocket pair but I wasn't certain yet. The good news was that I had him covered nearly 4.5 to 1 and odds were if the overs didn't come, he'd be hard pressed to scare me out. However, I wasn't completely sold on the commitment. I hadn't invested that much.
The flop came down nine high with two diamonds and he bet into me immediately. I started to get that feeling. This is something I characteristically wrestle with any time I decide to play online. That flop made be believe one of two things was actually happening. Either my opponent just flopped the nut flush draw or he was sitting with the over pair.
I wrestle with the belief in the back of my mind that the online program will always make it difficult for me to fold a hand like this. I decide to raise him up to find out where I am. He immediately goes all in. This convinces me that he is on the draw and I have the sick feeling that I am going to be drawn out. I tend to only get this way with online play and don't carry the same kind of concern in a casino. I call taking into consideration it's not many more chips to me and I'm pretty sure at that moment I have the best hand. The turn brought a brick, which also brought an inside straight draw for me, followed by a third diamond on the river.
Now I'm sick. My opponent's card are revealed to show the A,K, of diamonds. I knew it. I've seen it so many times online when I have those pesky pocket pair that linger above the flop. Of course if a picture card had flopped, I wouldn't have invested another penny. However, I was sure I was good on the flop when he pushed all in and I was just as sure that I was going to get sucked out. It just happens too frequently, particularly when my opponent is pot committed.
This is the kind of hand that drives me crazy those pocket tens or jacks when there's a raise up front and the flop comes down all under me. I especially dread it online. Let me know how you would play it and if you feel the same way as I do about online play.
That being said, I was moving along at a relatively good pace and playing some solid poker. That just means I was keeping it tight and doing my best not to freak out when three players show down huge pocket pairs all against each other... again.
I was in late position with a good size stack when an opponent second to under the gun raised up going about two and half times the big blind. Every body folded around to me and I decided to flat call with pocket tens and see what the flop brought.
At this point I was already concerned that he was sitting with a larger pocket pair but I wasn't certain yet. The good news was that I had him covered nearly 4.5 to 1 and odds were if the overs didn't come, he'd be hard pressed to scare me out. However, I wasn't completely sold on the commitment. I hadn't invested that much.
The flop came down nine high with two diamonds and he bet into me immediately. I started to get that feeling. This is something I characteristically wrestle with any time I decide to play online. That flop made be believe one of two things was actually happening. Either my opponent just flopped the nut flush draw or he was sitting with the over pair.
I wrestle with the belief in the back of my mind that the online program will always make it difficult for me to fold a hand like this. I decide to raise him up to find out where I am. He immediately goes all in. This convinces me that he is on the draw and I have the sick feeling that I am going to be drawn out. I tend to only get this way with online play and don't carry the same kind of concern in a casino. I call taking into consideration it's not many more chips to me and I'm pretty sure at that moment I have the best hand. The turn brought a brick, which also brought an inside straight draw for me, followed by a third diamond on the river.
Now I'm sick. My opponent's card are revealed to show the A,K, of diamonds. I knew it. I've seen it so many times online when I have those pesky pocket pair that linger above the flop. Of course if a picture card had flopped, I wouldn't have invested another penny. However, I was sure I was good on the flop when he pushed all in and I was just as sure that I was going to get sucked out. It just happens too frequently, particularly when my opponent is pot committed.
This is the kind of hand that drives me crazy those pocket tens or jacks when there's a raise up front and the flop comes down all under me. I especially dread it online. Let me know how you would play it and if you feel the same way as I do about online play.
Pokerstars.com Brings The European Poker Tour to Budapest
For the first time in five seasons the EPT is going to Hungary today. It should be interesting to see who is willing to go over there. They are expecting a field of approximately 500 to each put in an entrance fee of 4000 euros. That should make for a pretty good kitty.
Numerous Poker Stars sponsored players are expected to be there including Luca Pagano, Noah Boeken and crowd favorite, Marcel Luske. The Europeans competing are deep with talent and the field for this event should be one of the most challenging ever. It will be interesting to see what North American players decide to make the trip over, if any go.
Included in the high calibre competition will be Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier who just took down a World Poker Tour win over the weekend, dispensing with all competition at the final table in just over five hours.
Hungary native Valdemar Kwaysser is hoping a home field advantage will do him well to take down his competition. Far from being a household name as of yet on the European poker tour circuit, Kwaysser sees this event as a good chance for him to up his ante. He has one major tournament win on the PokerStars Latin American poker tour having won the Costa Rica leg during its first season.
The tournament begins today at 1p.m. CET and is expected to finish on Saturday.
Good luck all!
Numerous Poker Stars sponsored players are expected to be there including Luca Pagano, Noah Boeken and crowd favorite, Marcel Luske. The Europeans competing are deep with talent and the field for this event should be one of the most challenging ever. It will be interesting to see what North American players decide to make the trip over, if any go.
Included in the high calibre competition will be Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier who just took down a World Poker Tour win over the weekend, dispensing with all competition at the final table in just over five hours.
Hungary native Valdemar Kwaysser is hoping a home field advantage will do him well to take down his competition. Far from being a household name as of yet on the European poker tour circuit, Kwaysser sees this event as a good chance for him to up his ante. He has one major tournament win on the PokerStars Latin American poker tour having won the Costa Rica leg during its first season.
The tournament begins today at 1p.m. CET and is expected to finish on Saturday.
Good luck all!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Canadian World Series of Poker Finalist Favoured
I'm not making note of this or creating a record just because the guy is Canadian. Well maybe I am. Who cares! There is no denying this guy is great. Scott Montgomery will be appearing at the World Series of Poker Main Event final table on November 9th and he will be carrying the support of a nation on his shoulders.
Sure, the nation supporting him is known for back bacon and beer. Sure, the nation supporting him is mostly frozen solid for most of the year. Sure, the nation supporting him released Celine Dion out into the world. We are really sorry about that. However, we are a nation of Canadians and we will be standing behind the young phenom that is Scott Montgomery.
Look, he has all the credentials to be great. This kid is university educated in mathematics. He graduated with a bachelor of mathematics from the University of Waterloo which just so happens to be where? That's right, in Canada! As the world knows, we put out the greatest mathematicians on the planet. Or was that cheeseburgers? Doesn't matter because having a comprehensive background in mathematics is definitely a plus in poker, especially at a No Limit Championship final table. Did I mention that he is going in with the third largest chip stack when the action begins? For those of you doing the math, that is a pretty good place to be.
Here's a little something, Montgomery cashed in all three of his first major buy-in tournaments. That's not too shabby considering he had a sizable field to contend against each time, they were his first buy-in tournaments ever and he is Canadian. There aren't too many pros working today who got off to that kind of start in their tournament careers. Most of the those pros haven't even visited Canada. I only mention that because it's hard to play poker well up there because it's so cold.
Montgomery is going to be coming to that table with a no holds barred attitude. He is already a self-proclaimed crazy when it comes to hand selection. That is bound to challenge the sensibilities of his opponents. He is also coming with a considerable amount of respect from the poker community with several big names pros pegging him as the man to beat. Montgomery is in the best place mentally. He believes he is going to win but at the same time he will play like he doesn't care. That makes for a very dangerous combination. What the young guy doesn't want to say is that he probably already got way further against this monster field than he originally expected so for him its a win/win from here on in. Everyone knows that to make the final table at the Main Event you need to get lucky. When you happen to be skillful as well, that is deadly.
Carrying with him a strong positive mental attitude as well as the respect of those meeting him at the table, this Montgomery will definitely be a poker pro to contend with on November 9th. I would be putting my money on the Canadian.
Sure, the nation supporting him is known for back bacon and beer. Sure, the nation supporting him is mostly frozen solid for most of the year. Sure, the nation supporting him released Celine Dion out into the world. We are really sorry about that. However, we are a nation of Canadians and we will be standing behind the young phenom that is Scott Montgomery.
Look, he has all the credentials to be great. This kid is university educated in mathematics. He graduated with a bachelor of mathematics from the University of Waterloo which just so happens to be where? That's right, in Canada! As the world knows, we put out the greatest mathematicians on the planet. Or was that cheeseburgers? Doesn't matter because having a comprehensive background in mathematics is definitely a plus in poker, especially at a No Limit Championship final table. Did I mention that he is going in with the third largest chip stack when the action begins? For those of you doing the math, that is a pretty good place to be.
Here's a little something, Montgomery cashed in all three of his first major buy-in tournaments. That's not too shabby considering he had a sizable field to contend against each time, they were his first buy-in tournaments ever and he is Canadian. There aren't too many pros working today who got off to that kind of start in their tournament careers. Most of the those pros haven't even visited Canada. I only mention that because it's hard to play poker well up there because it's so cold.
Montgomery is going to be coming to that table with a no holds barred attitude. He is already a self-proclaimed crazy when it comes to hand selection. That is bound to challenge the sensibilities of his opponents. He is also coming with a considerable amount of respect from the poker community with several big names pros pegging him as the man to beat. Montgomery is in the best place mentally. He believes he is going to win but at the same time he will play like he doesn't care. That makes for a very dangerous combination. What the young guy doesn't want to say is that he probably already got way further against this monster field than he originally expected so for him its a win/win from here on in. Everyone knows that to make the final table at the Main Event you need to get lucky. When you happen to be skillful as well, that is deadly.
Carrying with him a strong positive mental attitude as well as the respect of those meeting him at the table, this Montgomery will definitely be a poker pro to contend with on November 9th. I would be putting my money on the Canadian.
Andy Bloch Talks Poker and Blackjack Supremacy
Students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas were given a treat this week. They were allowed an inside peek into the mind and dealings of poker pro Andy Bloch as he spoke to them about poker and what it was like being part of the now infamous MIT Blackjack Team that got his name and face on the black list of casinos around the world. 
For those of you who have been living in a hut in Bulgaria these past thirty years or so, the MIT Blackjack Team took Vegas for millions and inspired a Hollywood movie, 21, that was loosely based on the adventure of Bloch and his compatriots.
While discussing the origins of the team getting together, Block shared with the students the inaccuracies that popped up during the film. For instance, he was never approached while at school, as the film would lead you to believe. That would have been far too risky and out in the open. The group was way to secretive for that. In fact, it was during a home poker game at a friend's house that he was approached by a team member. Also, he noted that the signals that appear to have been used in the film by team members to alert the "high roller" of a hot table, were not what they used while operating the ring.
Bloch told the students that there were definitely moments in the movie that he could relate to. Specifically, he liked the depictions of team members grabbing up freebies from wherever they could as he recalled team members often stealing things from the casinos to bring back to the dorm. He also claimed that it was standard for the high roller members of the team to adopt fake names and identities because back when they were operating, it wasn't uncommon to be able to check into a hotel with or no identification at all.
Bloch of course also talked to the students about his present career as a professional poker player and the effects his experience has had on his play currently. He spoke about his family and how they supported him and how everyone now follows his career closely. He also mentioned what it is like to go from operating in secret counting cards to being internationally recognized as a professional poker player. Undoubtedly, he may have altered the destinies of a few young minds.
For those of you who have been living in a hut in Bulgaria these past thirty years or so, the MIT Blackjack Team took Vegas for millions and inspired a Hollywood movie, 21, that was loosely based on the adventure of Bloch and his compatriots.
While discussing the origins of the team getting together, Block shared with the students the inaccuracies that popped up during the film. For instance, he was never approached while at school, as the film would lead you to believe. That would have been far too risky and out in the open. The group was way to secretive for that. In fact, it was during a home poker game at a friend's house that he was approached by a team member. Also, he noted that the signals that appear to have been used in the film by team members to alert the "high roller" of a hot table, were not what they used while operating the ring.
Bloch told the students that there were definitely moments in the movie that he could relate to. Specifically, he liked the depictions of team members grabbing up freebies from wherever they could as he recalled team members often stealing things from the casinos to bring back to the dorm. He also claimed that it was standard for the high roller members of the team to adopt fake names and identities because back when they were operating, it wasn't uncommon to be able to check into a hotel with or no identification at all.
Bloch of course also talked to the students about his present career as a professional poker player and the effects his experience has had on his play currently. He spoke about his family and how they supported him and how everyone now follows his career closely. He also mentioned what it is like to go from operating in secret counting cards to being internationally recognized as a professional poker player. Undoubtedly, he may have altered the destinies of a few young minds.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Poker Players Will Bring No Limit Strategy to Your Limit Game
The title of this article is a little deceiving. Really what it should be called is something more like, "Poker players will find any excuse they can to call you in a limit game." The reason the title reads the way it does is because often the rationale I hear at a limit game for wild play is something that I hear a lot in No Limit games.
I can't count the number of times the cards are turned over after the river bet and somebody, almost always the losing player, says something like 'what were you thinking?' It usually comes up out of frustration and is probably a good way to alleviate the steam.
My favorite kind of example happened to a friend of mine recently at a game we were playing. The table was full and we were playing $10/20 limit hold em. My buddy puts a raise in from early position and immediately everyone except one guy close to the bottom folds. I can tell my friend is a little put off because now he's just playing for even money and the table had been giving pretty good action.
The flop comes down K-10-4 rainbow. My buddy bets out, the other guy calls. The turn comes 7h. My buddy bets out. The guy calls. The river is the two of hearts now making three hearts on board. My friend checks, the other guy bets out and my buddy calls. The guy shows down Qh, 3h for the flush. My friend has a set of kings the whole way. He just mucks them. He looks up at the guy and says "good hand." Before the guy can say thank you, some other dude says "what the heck were you thinking?", to the guy with the flush. Oh, he didn't say heck. The guy answers by saying something like that he just figured if the cards came down right he could make some good money.
Now, I'm not sure what he meant exactly. If you are in a hand and the cards come down right for you, you can always make some money. I think he meant something a little different because I kept listening to him talk. He was trying to explain that if the player raising up front has a big hand and he has two crappy cards that kind of work together and the flop comes down in his favor, he could make a lot of money.
There are a few issues with what he was trying to say. First off, after the raise, he was the only caller, so he was only going to get even money. Not the best kind of odds in poker for a garbage hand. The next obvious thing was that it was limit. So, he was limited considerably in what he could win. This sort of plays into the first point. I think he was presenting the No Limit argument that he heard some pro talk about when referring to the opportunity to take a lot of chips off an opponent with a big starting hand when the board comes your way. The problem here is, it isn't no limit. There weren't any other players to boost his pot odds, either existing or implied, and I haven't even mentioned the best part. The flop was nowhere near him.
My friend never said anything except 'good hand.' We both wanted this guy in the game. We wanted to smack the idiot who was trying to give advice at the table. It's been said a million times and I'll say it again, why would you ever want somebody you are playing against to start playing better? Just let it go.
Players in a limit game will always have a justification to call you. Especially the bad ones. They don't care that the odds are bad or the likelihood of them making a hand is slim or even that they need two running perfect cards to make a hand. That's why my friend just checks and calls the river. We had been watching this guy play for a while and we knew he just liked to play. We also knew that any two cards were possible.
It's funny how when asked, those kinds of players can never say, "I just wanted to see all five cards turned over and see if I make a hand." That would be honest and I would accept that answer. Instead, they usually feel the need to express some kind of strategy that almost always demonstrates they don't know what they are doing. I like that too. I would love it if somebody sat down and just explained that they were going to play the game like a slot machine and keep tossing their chips in until the end every time and see if they win. That kind of player would be easy to play against.
Remember, in limit play, the players will have so many creative ways of justifying why they are playing when they shouldn't. All you have to do, is take advantage and know who they are. When they are coming up with all those creative explanations, all they are really saying is, "I like to play." That's OK too. I just don't know why people can't say it. The better you become at reading these players, the better off you will be in the long run and the more money you will take from them as well. When you get really good and the cards flip over at the end, you will never here yourself say, "What the heck were you thinking?" You'll already know the answer.
I can't count the number of times the cards are turned over after the river bet and somebody, almost always the losing player, says something like 'what were you thinking?' It usually comes up out of frustration and is probably a good way to alleviate the steam.
My favorite kind of example happened to a friend of mine recently at a game we were playing. The table was full and we were playing $10/20 limit hold em. My buddy puts a raise in from early position and immediately everyone except one guy close to the bottom folds. I can tell my friend is a little put off because now he's just playing for even money and the table had been giving pretty good action.
The flop comes down K-10-4 rainbow. My buddy bets out, the other guy calls. The turn comes 7h. My buddy bets out. The guy calls. The river is the two of hearts now making three hearts on board. My friend checks, the other guy bets out and my buddy calls. The guy shows down Qh, 3h for the flush. My friend has a set of kings the whole way. He just mucks them. He looks up at the guy and says "good hand." Before the guy can say thank you, some other dude says "what the heck were you thinking?", to the guy with the flush. Oh, he didn't say heck. The guy answers by saying something like that he just figured if the cards came down right he could make some good money.
Now, I'm not sure what he meant exactly. If you are in a hand and the cards come down right for you, you can always make some money. I think he meant something a little different because I kept listening to him talk. He was trying to explain that if the player raising up front has a big hand and he has two crappy cards that kind of work together and the flop comes down in his favor, he could make a lot of money.
There are a few issues with what he was trying to say. First off, after the raise, he was the only caller, so he was only going to get even money. Not the best kind of odds in poker for a garbage hand. The next obvious thing was that it was limit. So, he was limited considerably in what he could win. This sort of plays into the first point. I think he was presenting the No Limit argument that he heard some pro talk about when referring to the opportunity to take a lot of chips off an opponent with a big starting hand when the board comes your way. The problem here is, it isn't no limit. There weren't any other players to boost his pot odds, either existing or implied, and I haven't even mentioned the best part. The flop was nowhere near him.
My friend never said anything except 'good hand.' We both wanted this guy in the game. We wanted to smack the idiot who was trying to give advice at the table. It's been said a million times and I'll say it again, why would you ever want somebody you are playing against to start playing better? Just let it go.
Players in a limit game will always have a justification to call you. Especially the bad ones. They don't care that the odds are bad or the likelihood of them making a hand is slim or even that they need two running perfect cards to make a hand. That's why my friend just checks and calls the river. We had been watching this guy play for a while and we knew he just liked to play. We also knew that any two cards were possible.
It's funny how when asked, those kinds of players can never say, "I just wanted to see all five cards turned over and see if I make a hand." That would be honest and I would accept that answer. Instead, they usually feel the need to express some kind of strategy that almost always demonstrates they don't know what they are doing. I like that too. I would love it if somebody sat down and just explained that they were going to play the game like a slot machine and keep tossing their chips in until the end every time and see if they win. That kind of player would be easy to play against.
Remember, in limit play, the players will have so many creative ways of justifying why they are playing when they shouldn't. All you have to do, is take advantage and know who they are. When they are coming up with all those creative explanations, all they are really saying is, "I like to play." That's OK too. I just don't know why people can't say it. The better you become at reading these players, the better off you will be in the long run and the more money you will take from them as well. When you get really good and the cards flip over at the end, you will never here yourself say, "What the heck were you thinking?" You'll already know the answer.
Poker Players are Mysterious
There are some poker players in the game today that have led very transparent lives. There are poker players like Helmuth and Brunson who have been so open about their lives and how they got to where they are today, that a perfect stranger could almost audit their entire playing histories.
Some of these players make it easy to tell where their money has come from because they took down a big tournament. Players like Jamie Gold and Joe Hachem, can show multi-million dollar bankrolls for poker simply because they each took down a huge tournament. Each of them had relatively successful day jobs, so they could bankroll themselves as well if they wanted to for cash games and other tournament play.
There are other players that have gone on the record as saying that they have investors when it comes to tournament play. They managed to garner a good reputation in the poker world as an earner and as such, may not ever have to front a buy in again. These kinds of deals I would imagine are pretty common in the poker world.
I would imagine that players like Chan and Brunson who have been playing for years and have grinded out very successful careers for themselves, must look at the younger generation in awe when realizing they just have to take down one big tournament now and instantly, they are in the game. The tournament pools were infinitely smaller when the old school masters started out on the circuit and so was the prize.
So what about all these young players whom we have never heard about? What about these players who come out of nowhere to participate in big tournaments or get invited to big cash games? Who are they? Where did their money come from? I often wondered about a few of the best players today and how young they were when they were starting out and yet they were playing on the world stage. There they were with big money going in and they were losing. How did these guys afford that before their corporate sponsorship kicked in? That stuff has always been interesting to me.
So I suppose this post is more of a question than anything else. For those of you out there who think you might have the answers, I would be curious to hear from you. Just to satisfy my own curiosity about how these players that apparently come out of nowhere are participating at the top levels. You can't tell me that each and every one of them is a descendant of the wunderkind Unger. So when you have some answers, let me know.
Some of these players make it easy to tell where their money has come from because they took down a big tournament. Players like Jamie Gold and Joe Hachem, can show multi-million dollar bankrolls for poker simply because they each took down a huge tournament. Each of them had relatively successful day jobs, so they could bankroll themselves as well if they wanted to for cash games and other tournament play.
There are other players that have gone on the record as saying that they have investors when it comes to tournament play. They managed to garner a good reputation in the poker world as an earner and as such, may not ever have to front a buy in again. These kinds of deals I would imagine are pretty common in the poker world.
I would imagine that players like Chan and Brunson who have been playing for years and have grinded out very successful careers for themselves, must look at the younger generation in awe when realizing they just have to take down one big tournament now and instantly, they are in the game. The tournament pools were infinitely smaller when the old school masters started out on the circuit and so was the prize.
So what about all these young players whom we have never heard about? What about these players who come out of nowhere to participate in big tournaments or get invited to big cash games? Who are they? Where did their money come from? I often wondered about a few of the best players today and how young they were when they were starting out and yet they were playing on the world stage. There they were with big money going in and they were losing. How did these guys afford that before their corporate sponsorship kicked in? That stuff has always been interesting to me.
So I suppose this post is more of a question than anything else. For those of you out there who think you might have the answers, I would be curious to hear from you. Just to satisfy my own curiosity about how these players that apparently come out of nowhere are participating at the top levels. You can't tell me that each and every one of them is a descendant of the wunderkind Unger. So when you have some answers, let me know.
Top Five Poker Players In The World
This is definitely the kind of thing that provokes debate. That doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I am posting this list in hopes of generating conversation on the topic. It is definitely a classification that is difficult to justify. The reason for that is because there are so many different types of players. There are guys that play almost exclusively in tournaments and there are guys that play exclusively in cash games. There are guys who prefer the Internet, and there are guys who only play brick and mortar casinos.
There are also many different types of poker games. Where one player is great at Stud, he may be terrible at Omaha and so on. There may be many players, and I'm sure there are, who are fantastic but have chosen to stay out of the public eye for one reason or the other. I salute them for finding joy and prosperity in their anonymity.
With all those things taken into consideration, here is my list for top five poker players in the world in no particular order.
1. Daniel Negraneu. For whatever reason, this guy embodies everything you need to be a champion poker player in both tournament and cash play. He genuinely doesn't seem to care about the money ever, and seems to have a history of that kind of mindset, which is probably crucial to becoming a great player. He makes the correct move almost every time based upon his read and situation. He also happens to be one of the best readers of other players that I have ever seen. He has mastered that skill, which I'm sure has allowed his bankroll to grow exponentially over the years. Great tournament player with a no holds barred style of play and killer in cash games.
2. Phil Ivey. Phil is simply one of the most perfectly rounded players in the game. Although, he does have the occasional tendency to chase his losses in a cash situation, he also possesses the remarkable ability to walk away when things are not going well. He is incredibly even tempered and seems to possess great discipline. He doesn't appear to let downturns affect his game or he is the best at concealing that. He is a machine in tournament play and has never been afraid to take a risk. Phil also seems to have the admiration of many career players who classify him as the best player in the game today. That must be one dangerous cash player.
3. Barry Greenstein. What can I say about this guy that hasn't been said in the past. He is another remarkable player with skills that have been admired and studied by the elite of the poker community. He is a killer tournament player despite the fact that he now donates most of if not all his winnings to charity. His style of play is emulated and worshipped by pros around the world. He has been around a long time with a remarkable level achievement covering several games and not just one. He just recently won a world series belt for Razz. Consider taking a break if he ever sits down at your cash game.
4. Doyle Brunson. The godfather. The teacher of generations of players. I don't think anything else needs to be said.
5. Howard Lederer. This is another player who is incredibly talented and very well respected in the poker community. He has amassed a very respectable tournament record and is no stranger to final tables. He much like Daniel, has an uncanny ability to read other players. He is so good in fact, that it is not uncommon for other players to do everything they can to conceal their faces when in a big hand with him. Provoking that kind of fear in other players alone should get him on this list. He also has an unmerciful and devastating cash game. He knows pretty much everything there is to know about the game. He isn't considered The Professor for nothing.
That's the list. I apologize if your favorite guy or gal isn't included. These are just my humble choices and they apply only to players who are currently alive. Had the list been best players ever, I can assure you that Stu Unger and Chip Reese would have been in there.
Granted there are many others who could be considered including Helmuth, Seidel, Chan, Harman, Cunningham and more. I chose to only pick five so it wouldn't be agonizing getting the list together and as you can see, it already is. If you have other picks I'd love to hear about them.
There are also many different types of poker games. Where one player is great at Stud, he may be terrible at Omaha and so on. There may be many players, and I'm sure there are, who are fantastic but have chosen to stay out of the public eye for one reason or the other. I salute them for finding joy and prosperity in their anonymity.
With all those things taken into consideration, here is my list for top five poker players in the world in no particular order.
1. Daniel Negraneu. For whatever reason, this guy embodies everything you need to be a champion poker player in both tournament and cash play. He genuinely doesn't seem to care about the money ever, and seems to have a history of that kind of mindset, which is probably crucial to becoming a great player. He makes the correct move almost every time based upon his read and situation. He also happens to be one of the best readers of other players that I have ever seen. He has mastered that skill, which I'm sure has allowed his bankroll to grow exponentially over the years. Great tournament player with a no holds barred style of play and killer in cash games.
2. Phil Ivey. Phil is simply one of the most perfectly rounded players in the game. Although, he does have the occasional tendency to chase his losses in a cash situation, he also possesses the remarkable ability to walk away when things are not going well. He is incredibly even tempered and seems to possess great discipline. He doesn't appear to let downturns affect his game or he is the best at concealing that. He is a machine in tournament play and has never been afraid to take a risk. Phil also seems to have the admiration of many career players who classify him as the best player in the game today. That must be one dangerous cash player.
3. Barry Greenstein. What can I say about this guy that hasn't been said in the past. He is another remarkable player with skills that have been admired and studied by the elite of the poker community. He is a killer tournament player despite the fact that he now donates most of if not all his winnings to charity. His style of play is emulated and worshipped by pros around the world. He has been around a long time with a remarkable level achievement covering several games and not just one. He just recently won a world series belt for Razz. Consider taking a break if he ever sits down at your cash game.
4. Doyle Brunson. The godfather. The teacher of generations of players. I don't think anything else needs to be said.
5. Howard Lederer. This is another player who is incredibly talented and very well respected in the poker community. He has amassed a very respectable tournament record and is no stranger to final tables. He much like Daniel, has an uncanny ability to read other players. He is so good in fact, that it is not uncommon for other players to do everything they can to conceal their faces when in a big hand with him. Provoking that kind of fear in other players alone should get him on this list. He also has an unmerciful and devastating cash game. He knows pretty much everything there is to know about the game. He isn't considered The Professor for nothing.
That's the list. I apologize if your favorite guy or gal isn't included. These are just my humble choices and they apply only to players who are currently alive. Had the list been best players ever, I can assure you that Stu Unger and Chip Reese would have been in there.
Granted there are many others who could be considered including Helmuth, Seidel, Chan, Harman, Cunningham and more. I chose to only pick five so it wouldn't be agonizing getting the list together and as you can see, it already is. If you have other picks I'd love to hear about them.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Poker Secrets and Great Advice are in Rounders
Rounders is probably one of the best poker movies ever made. There hasn't been a decent one made since. The film came out in 1998 and undeniably contributed to the poker boom that was to follow. Not to long after the movie there were Internet poker rooms popping up all over the place and people decided they would actually watch it on television because of the introduction of the hole cam.
To be honest, I was amazed that people actually were deciding to sit at home and watch other people play poker on TV. If it wasn't for that hole cam, I don't think it would have ever taken off the way it did. I can assure you that Rounders made watching poker at home interesting for spectators.
I really enjoy watching that film for so many reasons and it is amazing how it never seems to get old or dated in any way. You can't really lose considering the cast. There is Edward Norton and John Turturro, the two of them have to be two of the best working actors today. They step into a film and you are guaranteed something amazing. I think John may be one of the most under rated actors of our generation. I don't know many guys who can take on as diverse a range of roles as he does.
Matt Damon is good too. Although, I don't think the producers of Team America would agree. He does a great job of depicting the conflicted Mike McD. The other thing that made the film great was the dialogue and the way it captured the living breathing culture of poker players in the big city. The exchanges between Damon and Norton are classic. I remember after I saw it for the first time, I wanted to watch it again immediately to catch some of the language they were using.
What is even more interesting is how there are countless bits of advice littered throughout the film that are great for any budding poker player or seasoned pro. Right from the beginning, McD introduces the audience to the notion of spotting the sucker at the table. If more people accepted his truism, there would be a lot less money out there considering the volume of players that would get up and run within the first half hour.
There are two bits of advice that come out sort of indirectly. The first is Turturro talking to Damon in the poker room the first time he is contemplating playing the no-limit game that ends up costing him his bankroll. The advice is simply, play the game where you have an edge. McD is presumed by Knish to be outclassed at the no limit game he is considering. On that night, he was right. The notion of putting your whole bankroll into play is a little crazy and unnecessary but if you're going to go for it, that is definitely the ultimate. Ultimately, not a good decision.
The other piece of advice that comes up throughout is to take your time. This is great advice. You should always think of your poker career as a marathon and not a sprint. You just have to win a reasonable amount most of the time. This can and is done by career players all the time. By not putting all your hopes into any one hand, you will have a much more balanced game and come out ahead more often. Remember, there is always another hand.
There are a bunch of other great things to pick up from the film but you should really check it out again for yourself. There's no telling when another great poker movie is going to come along.
To be honest, I was amazed that people actually were deciding to sit at home and watch other people play poker on TV. If it wasn't for that hole cam, I don't think it would have ever taken off the way it did. I can assure you that Rounders made watching poker at home interesting for spectators.
I really enjoy watching that film for so many reasons and it is amazing how it never seems to get old or dated in any way. You can't really lose considering the cast. There is Edward Norton and John Turturro, the two of them have to be two of the best working actors today. They step into a film and you are guaranteed something amazing. I think John may be one of the most under rated actors of our generation. I don't know many guys who can take on as diverse a range of roles as he does.
Matt Damon is good too. Although, I don't think the producers of Team America would agree. He does a great job of depicting the conflicted Mike McD. The other thing that made the film great was the dialogue and the way it captured the living breathing culture of poker players in the big city. The exchanges between Damon and Norton are classic. I remember after I saw it for the first time, I wanted to watch it again immediately to catch some of the language they were using.
What is even more interesting is how there are countless bits of advice littered throughout the film that are great for any budding poker player or seasoned pro. Right from the beginning, McD introduces the audience to the notion of spotting the sucker at the table. If more people accepted his truism, there would be a lot less money out there considering the volume of players that would get up and run within the first half hour.
There are two bits of advice that come out sort of indirectly. The first is Turturro talking to Damon in the poker room the first time he is contemplating playing the no-limit game that ends up costing him his bankroll. The advice is simply, play the game where you have an edge. McD is presumed by Knish to be outclassed at the no limit game he is considering. On that night, he was right. The notion of putting your whole bankroll into play is a little crazy and unnecessary but if you're going to go for it, that is definitely the ultimate. Ultimately, not a good decision.
The other piece of advice that comes up throughout is to take your time. This is great advice. You should always think of your poker career as a marathon and not a sprint. You just have to win a reasonable amount most of the time. This can and is done by career players all the time. By not putting all your hopes into any one hand, you will have a much more balanced game and come out ahead more often. Remember, there is always another hand.
There are a bunch of other great things to pick up from the film but you should really check it out again for yourself. There's no telling when another great poker movie is going to come along.
Poker After Dark Revelations: The Internet
In connection with a couple things I have posted in the past about poker on the Internet and in answer to questions I get from friends and poker buddies, this is an interesting little story.
This week I was watching Poker After Dark. I believe it was the first week that the show has converted to a cash game. All previous broadcasts had been tournament format with the winner taking all.
This week they had the legendary Doyle Brunson with Gabe Kaplan, Eli Elezera, Patrick Antonius, Howard Lederer and Dee Tiller. If I have misspelled any one's name I am sorry. It was definitely a good table. These are all very experienced players and each brought a unique style to the game.
It is always fun to watch these great players go at each other at the table. You are usually guaranteed to see some great moves and I learn something new every time I watch. The thing I have always enjoyed the most about Poker After Dark is all of the banter that takes place around the hands. Sure it is fun to watch the hands played out and to see how these pros do it, but I like the other stuff that is going on because it is all very natural and you get some additional insight that you otherwise would never know about.
Here is what I am talking about. Early on in the episode I was watching, Eli Elezra was sitting with the chip lead. He was playing really well and catching great cards. That is an unbeatable combination. At the other end of the spectrum was Patrick Antonius. He was down over $100K and just couldn't get anything to work. When he wanted to make a move, he would run into hands and when he had cards there wasn't much of a pot. He would later say he was suffering from jet lag and wasn't playing his best game.
As time went on somebody at the table asked Antonius if he had won a pot. Antonius responded that he had won a couple. Elezra jokingly then said to Antonius that if he went broke he could always go play on the Internet and win it all back. Antonius then responded to Elezra by saying that he had lost sooo much money online that it wasn't funny. I'm paraphrasing but he said something like that. Tiller then immediately chimed in and said that he didn't know anybody who was winning online. This is where it got interesting.
To really get the picture, you had to see the players at this moment. The best part is that Tiller, Brunson and Kaplan are all wearing cowboy hats at the time with captions promoting Doyle's Room.Net on them. Obviously, this is a poker site endorsed by Brunson or is actually his, the exact deal, who knows. So imagine for a moment, a professional player on national television, obviously getting paid to endorse an online poker site, blurting out that he doesn't know anybody who wins playing online poker. It was beautiful to watch because the reaction at the table suddenly became very sombre.
It was as if Tiller had forgotten what he was wearing on his head and was just speaking honestly. Nobody else at the table said anything for a few moments. I believe Tiller even repeated his declaration that he didn't know anybody who wins online. Finally after a few uncomfortable moments, Brunson says, "somebody must be winning."
They went to a commercial right after that. I thought the moment spoke volumes for those people curious or suspicious about online play. Here's a guy who is supposed to be endorsing an online site and he doesn't seem to support it. At the table, were a few players who are very heavily behind a couple of online sites and they don't have anything to say in response. If ever there was a moment that gave you a little insight into the world of online poker, I'd say that was it.
What exactly you make of that exchange is entirely up to you. I just know that if I was supposed to be endorsing somebody's product on television and I was discouraging people from using that product, I imagine that would enrage the people I was supposed to be supporting. I know my alleged endorsement wouldn't come off terribly genuine. Also, if I had an investment in a product or service that was being questioned or criticized on national television, I think I would have done something to defend it. However as I said, the final "read" on this occurrence is up to you.
This week I was watching Poker After Dark. I believe it was the first week that the show has converted to a cash game. All previous broadcasts had been tournament format with the winner taking all.
This week they had the legendary Doyle Brunson with Gabe Kaplan, Eli Elezera, Patrick Antonius, Howard Lederer and Dee Tiller. If I have misspelled any one's name I am sorry. It was definitely a good table. These are all very experienced players and each brought a unique style to the game.
It is always fun to watch these great players go at each other at the table. You are usually guaranteed to see some great moves and I learn something new every time I watch. The thing I have always enjoyed the most about Poker After Dark is all of the banter that takes place around the hands. Sure it is fun to watch the hands played out and to see how these pros do it, but I like the other stuff that is going on because it is all very natural and you get some additional insight that you otherwise would never know about.
Here is what I am talking about. Early on in the episode I was watching, Eli Elezra was sitting with the chip lead. He was playing really well and catching great cards. That is an unbeatable combination. At the other end of the spectrum was Patrick Antonius. He was down over $100K and just couldn't get anything to work. When he wanted to make a move, he would run into hands and when he had cards there wasn't much of a pot. He would later say he was suffering from jet lag and wasn't playing his best game.
As time went on somebody at the table asked Antonius if he had won a pot. Antonius responded that he had won a couple. Elezra jokingly then said to Antonius that if he went broke he could always go play on the Internet and win it all back. Antonius then responded to Elezra by saying that he had lost sooo much money online that it wasn't funny. I'm paraphrasing but he said something like that. Tiller then immediately chimed in and said that he didn't know anybody who was winning online. This is where it got interesting.
To really get the picture, you had to see the players at this moment. The best part is that Tiller, Brunson and Kaplan are all wearing cowboy hats at the time with captions promoting Doyle's Room.Net on them. Obviously, this is a poker site endorsed by Brunson or is actually his, the exact deal, who knows. So imagine for a moment, a professional player on national television, obviously getting paid to endorse an online poker site, blurting out that he doesn't know anybody who wins playing online poker. It was beautiful to watch because the reaction at the table suddenly became very sombre.
It was as if Tiller had forgotten what he was wearing on his head and was just speaking honestly. Nobody else at the table said anything for a few moments. I believe Tiller even repeated his declaration that he didn't know anybody who wins online. Finally after a few uncomfortable moments, Brunson says, "somebody must be winning."
They went to a commercial right after that. I thought the moment spoke volumes for those people curious or suspicious about online play. Here's a guy who is supposed to be endorsing an online site and he doesn't seem to support it. At the table, were a few players who are very heavily behind a couple of online sites and they don't have anything to say in response. If ever there was a moment that gave you a little insight into the world of online poker, I'd say that was it.
What exactly you make of that exchange is entirely up to you. I just know that if I was supposed to be endorsing somebody's product on television and I was discouraging people from using that product, I imagine that would enrage the people I was supposed to be supporting. I know my alleged endorsement wouldn't come off terribly genuine. Also, if I had an investment in a product or service that was being questioned or criticized on national television, I think I would have done something to defend it. However as I said, the final "read" on this occurrence is up to you.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Poker Tells: Catching a Liar at The Poker Table - The Eyes
This series of articles has been fun for a multitude of reasons. Most prominent among them is the fact that I can just see people now closely studying each other at the poker tables to the point where everyone gets uncomfortable. That would be hysterical. What you should also generally keep in mind is that some people at a poker table are naturally uncomfortable. That is to say they will be putting out all types of cues all the time. This stems from several different causes.
The first reason you may be getting multiple conflicting cues from another player is because they are confused or don't really know what they are doing. This kind of player you will figure out quickly as far as their play is concerned but their physical tells will be perplexing. Other people are just uncomfortable around people but they really enjoy poker. These folks are entertaining just to be around. Eventually they either get comfortable or find another way to entertain themselves. Whatever the case, when a player is giving out confusing signals, you will have to sort it out quickly. It is another important reason for you to pay close attention to your opposition.
In the continuing saga of spotting the misrepresentation at the table, today I will examine an area that you have looked at quite often and is simultaneously the most protected by players in poker. That is of course the eyes. Many players wear sunglasses in their attempts to hide from you at the table, but as I have revealed to you other areas to focus upon, these people will just seem silly to you in the future. The next time you see one of them, you should explain to them that their eyes get plenty of protection from the sun indoors. See if you get a laugh.
For those players who choose not to wear sunglasses at the table with you, there are cues to watch for. The eyes are the windows to the soul and they also indicate misrepresentation. If for example, you ask somebody a question and the eyes go up and to the left, that is a sign that the brain is attempting to recall information, often information that has been recorded as pictures in the mind. When you see the individual's eyes up and off to the left they are "seeing" those pictures in the mind. When something comes up as part of that recall that they don't want to share, their eyes respond by darting right, away from the information. At that point, the misrepresentation is then the construction of a "false" picture that did not come up with the original recall but one the teller believes will help answer the question to their advantage.
For example, your opponent puts in a bet at the turn and you ask them if they made their boat. If you watch carefully, you can see their eyes recall their hole cards momentarily and then they will make a decision about how to answer you or of course, not to answer you at all. You know that if while they are answering you their eyes are darting right, it is a clear indication of some kind of fabrication that they are making up on the spot. That would be quite different than if they are looking straight into your eyes.
These are subtle eye movements that will give you a tremendous amount of information. Again, you will have to get a feel for your opponents to see when they are acting and when they are responding without thinking about it. The eyes will often be great at getting information for quick questions as the movement will indicate sincerity or preparation to fabricate almost immediately.
Keep checking back as I will continue to provide valuable tips on how you can spot all kinds of great tells from your opponents at the poker table.
The first reason you may be getting multiple conflicting cues from another player is because they are confused or don't really know what they are doing. This kind of player you will figure out quickly as far as their play is concerned but their physical tells will be perplexing. Other people are just uncomfortable around people but they really enjoy poker. These folks are entertaining just to be around. Eventually they either get comfortable or find another way to entertain themselves. Whatever the case, when a player is giving out confusing signals, you will have to sort it out quickly. It is another important reason for you to pay close attention to your opposition.
In the continuing saga of spotting the misrepresentation at the table, today I will examine an area that you have looked at quite often and is simultaneously the most protected by players in poker. That is of course the eyes. Many players wear sunglasses in their attempts to hide from you at the table, but as I have revealed to you other areas to focus upon, these people will just seem silly to you in the future. The next time you see one of them, you should explain to them that their eyes get plenty of protection from the sun indoors. See if you get a laugh.
For those players who choose not to wear sunglasses at the table with you, there are cues to watch for. The eyes are the windows to the soul and they also indicate misrepresentation. If for example, you ask somebody a question and the eyes go up and to the left, that is a sign that the brain is attempting to recall information, often information that has been recorded as pictures in the mind. When you see the individual's eyes up and off to the left they are "seeing" those pictures in the mind. When something comes up as part of that recall that they don't want to share, their eyes respond by darting right, away from the information. At that point, the misrepresentation is then the construction of a "false" picture that did not come up with the original recall but one the teller believes will help answer the question to their advantage.
For example, your opponent puts in a bet at the turn and you ask them if they made their boat. If you watch carefully, you can see their eyes recall their hole cards momentarily and then they will make a decision about how to answer you or of course, not to answer you at all. You know that if while they are answering you their eyes are darting right, it is a clear indication of some kind of fabrication that they are making up on the spot. That would be quite different than if they are looking straight into your eyes.
These are subtle eye movements that will give you a tremendous amount of information. Again, you will have to get a feel for your opponents to see when they are acting and when they are responding without thinking about it. The eyes will often be great at getting information for quick questions as the movement will indicate sincerity or preparation to fabricate almost immediately.
Keep checking back as I will continue to provide valuable tips on how you can spot all kinds of great tells from your opponents at the poker table.
Poker Tells: Catching a Liar at The Poker Table - The Mouth
If you have been following this series of tips, you will have picked up on the primary focus of this article. That is how to take advantage of your opponents "tells" when they are attempting to misrepresent themselves at the poker table. As I have mentioned in earlier articles, the "tells" become evident as a result of physical manifestations of the misrepresentations. Simply put, the brain struggles to cope with conflicting information that results in the body doing something that the person telling the lie has no control over.
In previous articles I have discussed how to watch hand gestures for valuable information. Also how the feet and lower body have the ability to unconsciously communicate a person's true feelings. The next part of the body to pay attention to is the mouth and how it is revealed to people when a person is being genuine with them as opposed to when they are being dishonest.
When a person is smiling and being open and honest with others, there is a muscle called the zygomatic muscle that comes into play and supports the smile. When a person is faking a smile, the zygomatic muscle is not used and the consequence is that the surrounding skin and muscle groups do not get the support from the zygomatic which results in a visible twitch around the corner of the mouth. This response is automatic and can not be helped. A visible facial twitch in a poker game can become invaluable at the appropriate times.
Study of facial recognition and responses have been conducted for years. A pseudo-science known as phrenology once examined the correlation between the shapes and sizes of a person's skull, to their capacity for certain types of character traits. Over the years the study of the skull lost support and a more focused examination of the face to precedent. It was discovered and believed by some that the facial muscles were actually responsible for various emotions experienced by individuals. When that belief, it was concluded that by manipulation of the face, various emotions could be imposed on test subjects. Therefor, it was concluded that emotions could be manually manufactured in an instant by simple manipulation of the face.
Whether or not the hypothesis is supported today, there are certain aspects of the study which continue to stand up to the test of time. Specifically, the mouth is a strong indicator of whether the test subject is experiencing happiness and satisfaction or sadness and dissatisfaction. For example, if the test subject was content, the lips would appear to fill up, the mouth would open slightly and the corners would turn upwards. Conversely, if the test subject was sad or displeased, the lips would deflate, the mouth would close up and the corners would flatten out or turn downwards. This information applied to the poker table is invaluable.
Imagine a flop comes down and while examining your opponent's face you see the corners of his mouth turn upwards and his lips part. It would be a safe assumption that the flop has hit him and he is satisfied with his current situation. Alternatively, if after a flop comes down you ask your opponent how well that hit him and he just looks at you and smiles with a small twitch, it is reasonable to assume that he isn't that pleased with the flop. It is important to realize that these responses are autonomic. Your opponents are unaware of them.
You will have to watch your opponents closely for these cues because often they will happen quickly. Keep in mind that this type of read will be a little different for each player for the simple reason that everybody is a little different. You will have to study your opponents closely and learn what the "tells" share with you about their state of mind. Learn to develop this reading skill and you will see your bankroll benefit in the long run.
In previous articles I have discussed how to watch hand gestures for valuable information. Also how the feet and lower body have the ability to unconsciously communicate a person's true feelings. The next part of the body to pay attention to is the mouth and how it is revealed to people when a person is being genuine with them as opposed to when they are being dishonest.
When a person is smiling and being open and honest with others, there is a muscle called the zygomatic muscle that comes into play and supports the smile. When a person is faking a smile, the zygomatic muscle is not used and the consequence is that the surrounding skin and muscle groups do not get the support from the zygomatic which results in a visible twitch around the corner of the mouth. This response is automatic and can not be helped. A visible facial twitch in a poker game can become invaluable at the appropriate times.
Study of facial recognition and responses have been conducted for years. A pseudo-science known as phrenology once examined the correlation between the shapes and sizes of a person's skull, to their capacity for certain types of character traits. Over the years the study of the skull lost support and a more focused examination of the face to precedent. It was discovered and believed by some that the facial muscles were actually responsible for various emotions experienced by individuals. When that belief, it was concluded that by manipulation of the face, various emotions could be imposed on test subjects. Therefor, it was concluded that emotions could be manually manufactured in an instant by simple manipulation of the face.
Whether or not the hypothesis is supported today, there are certain aspects of the study which continue to stand up to the test of time. Specifically, the mouth is a strong indicator of whether the test subject is experiencing happiness and satisfaction or sadness and dissatisfaction. For example, if the test subject was content, the lips would appear to fill up, the mouth would open slightly and the corners would turn upwards. Conversely, if the test subject was sad or displeased, the lips would deflate, the mouth would close up and the corners would flatten out or turn downwards. This information applied to the poker table is invaluable.
Imagine a flop comes down and while examining your opponent's face you see the corners of his mouth turn upwards and his lips part. It would be a safe assumption that the flop has hit him and he is satisfied with his current situation. Alternatively, if after a flop comes down you ask your opponent how well that hit him and he just looks at you and smiles with a small twitch, it is reasonable to assume that he isn't that pleased with the flop. It is important to realize that these responses are autonomic. Your opponents are unaware of them.
You will have to watch your opponents closely for these cues because often they will happen quickly. Keep in mind that this type of read will be a little different for each player for the simple reason that everybody is a little different. You will have to study your opponents closely and learn what the "tells" share with you about their state of mind. Learn to develop this reading skill and you will see your bankroll benefit in the long run.
Poker Tells: Catching a Liar at a Poker Table - The Feet
This is my favorite series of tips to date that I have been giving out. It deals exclusively with studying the people in the game that you are in at the poker table. With careful study of your opponents, you will learn to gauge their actions more accurately and become better at determining when they are being honest and when they are trying to misrepresent themselves.
In an earlier article I mentioned the foundation for this series. That is, when a person "tells" a lie, the brain has an internal conflict. One part of the brain encourages the lie, seeking a particular outcome, while another part of the brain is confused and seeks something different. The internal conflict tends to manifest in physical indicators that will give an astute player a considerable edge at the poker table. This may be the origin of poker "tells" for all we know. Whatever the origin, these are the physical cues that a player must learn to decipher to use in making decisions during the course of play.
Last time I mentioned how you should watch the hands for key indications of a misrepresentation. There is another area of the body that tends to give away a lie quite effectively. When a person is attempting to misrepresent to another, they are very much aware of their upper body. Specifically, they are often focused on the mid-chest to the top of the head because they know that is the area being observed by the person they are communicating to. As a result, they tend to have a considerable amount of focus and control over that area.
However, when a person is lying or attempting a misrepresentation, a part of the body that is often not being observed will manifest the internal conflict I mentioned earlier. In this case, the feet and legs will begin to shake or jiggle in a particular fashion. What is important to realize is that people who are misrepresenting themselves often are completely unaware of this. The physical manifestation and motion of the feet and legs are completely unconscious to the "teller", while an astute observer can pick it up.
For example, a player may be representing a flush as a result of a big turn or river card and you choose to ask them if they have it. Keep in mind the representation has already been made. Therefore, their action combined with your question can create a lot of pressure, even if they choose to not answer. The physical shaking of the legs and feet can be directly observed or if you are across the table, you can see them "bobbing" as a result of this until they become aware of it. It may only occur briefly but if you are paying attention, you can't miss it.
The feet or legs responding to a misrepresentation may be difficult to see when seated at a poker table, particularly if you are seated at opposite ends of a table. However, the fact that your opponents are seated, will actually make this tell easier to pick up. As noted, the shaking of the foot or leg from a seated position will generally cause movement of the upper torso. Another interesting thing to watch out for at this juncture are hand movements that attempt to alleviate the pressure or the lower body movement once the player becomes aware of it. Watch for the hand to actually move toward the leg as if to stop it. Also, stay aware of the hand attempting to "cool" off the body by fanning past the face or touching around the neck.
Keep in mind, a skillful experienced player may attempt to use some of these cues to his advantage by representing a lie when it is not. Remember, by inquiring of the player if that is what they are doing will also render certain cues. However, false representation of "lying" cues would be exceptional and only really good actors can pull it off without appearing to be performing.
In any event, remember that these cues can manifest a little differently in every person. Keep a mental record of what they mean as you watch other players in action. When you have been able to master the meaning of each signal in the players you are against, you will see a marked improvement in your ability to read and profit from your opponents misgivings.
Keep checking back for interesting tips on picking up valuable physical tells from your opponents.
In an earlier article I mentioned the foundation for this series. That is, when a person "tells" a lie, the brain has an internal conflict. One part of the brain encourages the lie, seeking a particular outcome, while another part of the brain is confused and seeks something different. The internal conflict tends to manifest in physical indicators that will give an astute player a considerable edge at the poker table. This may be the origin of poker "tells" for all we know. Whatever the origin, these are the physical cues that a player must learn to decipher to use in making decisions during the course of play.
Last time I mentioned how you should watch the hands for key indications of a misrepresentation. There is another area of the body that tends to give away a lie quite effectively. When a person is attempting to misrepresent to another, they are very much aware of their upper body. Specifically, they are often focused on the mid-chest to the top of the head because they know that is the area being observed by the person they are communicating to. As a result, they tend to have a considerable amount of focus and control over that area.
However, when a person is lying or attempting a misrepresentation, a part of the body that is often not being observed will manifest the internal conflict I mentioned earlier. In this case, the feet and legs will begin to shake or jiggle in a particular fashion. What is important to realize is that people who are misrepresenting themselves often are completely unaware of this. The physical manifestation and motion of the feet and legs are completely unconscious to the "teller", while an astute observer can pick it up.
For example, a player may be representing a flush as a result of a big turn or river card and you choose to ask them if they have it. Keep in mind the representation has already been made. Therefore, their action combined with your question can create a lot of pressure, even if they choose to not answer. The physical shaking of the legs and feet can be directly observed or if you are across the table, you can see them "bobbing" as a result of this until they become aware of it. It may only occur briefly but if you are paying attention, you can't miss it.
The feet or legs responding to a misrepresentation may be difficult to see when seated at a poker table, particularly if you are seated at opposite ends of a table. However, the fact that your opponents are seated, will actually make this tell easier to pick up. As noted, the shaking of the foot or leg from a seated position will generally cause movement of the upper torso. Another interesting thing to watch out for at this juncture are hand movements that attempt to alleviate the pressure or the lower body movement once the player becomes aware of it. Watch for the hand to actually move toward the leg as if to stop it. Also, stay aware of the hand attempting to "cool" off the body by fanning past the face or touching around the neck.
Keep in mind, a skillful experienced player may attempt to use some of these cues to his advantage by representing a lie when it is not. Remember, by inquiring of the player if that is what they are doing will also render certain cues. However, false representation of "lying" cues would be exceptional and only really good actors can pull it off without appearing to be performing.
In any event, remember that these cues can manifest a little differently in every person. Keep a mental record of what they mean as you watch other players in action. When you have been able to master the meaning of each signal in the players you are against, you will see a marked improvement in your ability to read and profit from your opponents misgivings.
Keep checking back for interesting tips on picking up valuable physical tells from your opponents.
Poker Tells: Catching a Liar at a Poker Table - The Hand
If there has been something over the years that I have always enjoyed it's been studying human behaviour. There are not too many places in the world that you can examine unique aspects of human behaviour more than at a poker table. The reason for this is the simple fact that a poker player's situation is constantly changing during the course of a session. During that time, the player has to adapt in order to achieve the greatest benefit from that session. The other thing that is interesting to watch are the different personalities people bring to the table and how those personalities cope with the ever changing environment.
One thing that poker players are constantly trying to use during the course of a game to their advantage at the table, are personal representations. A player may try to act in a particular way in hopes of getting a particular result from other players. A player may say something in hopes of gaining information from others or perhaps to also achieve a particular result. In doing so, a player will be either genuine or disingenuous. Here are some of the ways you can tell if another player is misrepresenting or just "putting it on."
What you have to keep in mind is that when somebody is misrepresenting at a poker table, there is a conflict that goes on in their brain just as if they were telling in other type of lie. There is one part of the brain that wants to see them benefit from the misrepresentation and supports the action, while another part of the brain is confused and fights it. The result comes out in physical manifestations. At a poker table, these manifestations are referred to as tells. This is the moment where the "liar" is actually giving himself away and sometimes you have to be pretty sharp to catch it.
The first thing to know is that by telling a lie, it actually creates an increase in body temperature. The surface of the skin becomes warmer and the individual telling the lie becomes aware of the increase in body temperature and will do something to release heat. A classic example of that is the hand going to the side or back of the neck. This is an area of the body where people become quite aware of temperature changes. The hand motion will be something to watch. For example, a player puts in a bluff bet when it is their turn and upon bringing their hand back towards their body, it goes upward towards their head and neck. Upon reaching their head, the hand may make a swiping motion, or pull briefly on the collar area of the shirt as if to be "letting out some steam."
Sometimes this hand movement is much more subtle in more experienced players. They have learned to control this reaction. Lesser experienced players are more inclined to give it away. Sometimes, by studying your opponent after the raise, you can see them fighting to alleviate the "heat" that they are creating for themselves. In which case, the hand will be inclined to come back towards the body in some way, often followed by the player trying to do something else to mask the inclination to alleviate the pressure.
To gain even more information at this moment about the bluff, you can ask a question of your opponent to see if they will give away a little more. A player who is fighting the urge to let his hand naturally alleviate the pressure, may then become more inclined to forget about their hand and respond verbally while allowing the hand to do what it may. This is often an unconscious reaction and something you have to be watching closely for. In any event, the hand will be searching the body for an opportunity to release some heat.
If you can become astute at catching the hand movements of your opponents, attempting to cool themselves down, you will become that much better at picking up misrepresentation tells at the table. Keep checking back as I will be giving more tips on spotting the lie in your opponents with upcoming articles.
One thing that poker players are constantly trying to use during the course of a game to their advantage at the table, are personal representations. A player may try to act in a particular way in hopes of getting a particular result from other players. A player may say something in hopes of gaining information from others or perhaps to also achieve a particular result. In doing so, a player will be either genuine or disingenuous. Here are some of the ways you can tell if another player is misrepresenting or just "putting it on."
What you have to keep in mind is that when somebody is misrepresenting at a poker table, there is a conflict that goes on in their brain just as if they were telling in other type of lie. There is one part of the brain that wants to see them benefit from the misrepresentation and supports the action, while another part of the brain is confused and fights it. The result comes out in physical manifestations. At a poker table, these manifestations are referred to as tells. This is the moment where the "liar" is actually giving himself away and sometimes you have to be pretty sharp to catch it.
The first thing to know is that by telling a lie, it actually creates an increase in body temperature. The surface of the skin becomes warmer and the individual telling the lie becomes aware of the increase in body temperature and will do something to release heat. A classic example of that is the hand going to the side or back of the neck. This is an area of the body where people become quite aware of temperature changes. The hand motion will be something to watch. For example, a player puts in a bluff bet when it is their turn and upon bringing their hand back towards their body, it goes upward towards their head and neck. Upon reaching their head, the hand may make a swiping motion, or pull briefly on the collar area of the shirt as if to be "letting out some steam."
Sometimes this hand movement is much more subtle in more experienced players. They have learned to control this reaction. Lesser experienced players are more inclined to give it away. Sometimes, by studying your opponent after the raise, you can see them fighting to alleviate the "heat" that they are creating for themselves. In which case, the hand will be inclined to come back towards the body in some way, often followed by the player trying to do something else to mask the inclination to alleviate the pressure.
To gain even more information at this moment about the bluff, you can ask a question of your opponent to see if they will give away a little more. A player who is fighting the urge to let his hand naturally alleviate the pressure, may then become more inclined to forget about their hand and respond verbally while allowing the hand to do what it may. This is often an unconscious reaction and something you have to be watching closely for. In any event, the hand will be searching the body for an opportunity to release some heat.
If you can become astute at catching the hand movements of your opponents, attempting to cool themselves down, you will become that much better at picking up misrepresentation tells at the table. Keep checking back as I will be giving more tips on spotting the lie in your opponents with upcoming articles.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Limit Poker is The Same Wherever You Play Limit Poker
I want to clear up something that I have heard discussed numerous times. I was recently playing in a $5/10 limit game in Toronto while I was waiting to go play at a $10/20 table. The game had a lot of action. It didn't seem to matter if there were raises happening in early position or not and people didn't seem to care what came down on the flop. Numerous players came in with any two cards and often played deep hoping to improve their hands.
After playing for about ten or fifteen minutes, one of the players closer to me stated that you wouldn't see this kind of play at higher limits. He claimed that this was a product of low limit play and that so many players kept seeing lots of flops and chasing crazy hands because it was so cheap to do so.
I didn't think much of it except I noticed that this was the lowest limit offered by that room on that day. It would appear that anybody wanting to play poker who were looking for the lowest limit possible were going to play at tables like the one I was sitting at. There is something to be said about the players who hunt out the "cheapest" game. They do tend to be more recreational type players and have looser tendencies.
Not long thereafter my name was called to go join a $10/20 game. I gathered up my chips and went and took my seat. The game had an interesting mix of players that seemed to change regularly as for some reason, there always seemed to be somebody getting up every half hour or so. Regardless, after about three hours I decided to take a break and head over to the bar to order a snack. Not long after I was joined there by a gentleman who was sitting in my game. He introduced himself and was quite friendly. We talked about the game and it wasn't long before he made an interesting remark. He said that the game was a little more loose than he was used to and that he believed there were better games at higher limits.
There you have it. Within the span of a few hours, I hear two different players at two different levels of limit play, claiming that higher limit games are better and the players are not so loose. This is a misconception I run into quite regularly. It is interesting that these types of statements are often made by players who don't play higher limits.
Here is all you need to know. Limit play is limit play wherever you go. I think the Beatles wrote a song about it. It doesn't matter if you are playing $2/4 limit at Hollywood Park or $400/800 limit in Geneva, it is all relative. Players who sit in limit games tend to gravitate to levels that they feel comfortable with. The amount of money doesn't matter because their games tend to be the same. There are loose players, there are tight players and there are a whole bunch in the middle. This disparity of players can be found at every level.
If you are a loose player who can only afford to buy in for two hundred dollars at a time, you will play loose and wild probably at a $5/10 game. If you are a loose player who can only afford to buy in for one thousand dollars, you will probably play loose and wild at a $20/40 game. The limit doesn't matter. The amount of money is relative to the bankroll of the player. I watched a crazy $400/800 limit game on television not too long ago where pretty much everybody at the table was determined to see flops. They didn't care how many raises went in pre-flop. They wanted to play.
Don't craft your game in the lower limits thinking that you are becoming a great player and you will be rewarded when you move up because there will be less maniacs trying to suck out on you. They exist at every level. Play your best game always and learn how to read other players. That way it won't matter what level you play. You want to be able to play well and make good decisions against a multi-player game just as you would in a tight match up.
Limit players are limit players wherever you go. Limit poker is a great game. Learn to master it and don't worry about classifying things that you don't have any control over. If you want tighter games at the levels that you play, then look for them. If you can't find them, get good at the games that are available to you until you are able to find games where you will have an even greater edge. No matter what, the more you practice and play, the better you will become. The skills you develop will be available to you at every level of play.
After playing for about ten or fifteen minutes, one of the players closer to me stated that you wouldn't see this kind of play at higher limits. He claimed that this was a product of low limit play and that so many players kept seeing lots of flops and chasing crazy hands because it was so cheap to do so.
I didn't think much of it except I noticed that this was the lowest limit offered by that room on that day. It would appear that anybody wanting to play poker who were looking for the lowest limit possible were going to play at tables like the one I was sitting at. There is something to be said about the players who hunt out the "cheapest" game. They do tend to be more recreational type players and have looser tendencies.
Not long thereafter my name was called to go join a $10/20 game. I gathered up my chips and went and took my seat. The game had an interesting mix of players that seemed to change regularly as for some reason, there always seemed to be somebody getting up every half hour or so. Regardless, after about three hours I decided to take a break and head over to the bar to order a snack. Not long after I was joined there by a gentleman who was sitting in my game. He introduced himself and was quite friendly. We talked about the game and it wasn't long before he made an interesting remark. He said that the game was a little more loose than he was used to and that he believed there were better games at higher limits.
There you have it. Within the span of a few hours, I hear two different players at two different levels of limit play, claiming that higher limit games are better and the players are not so loose. This is a misconception I run into quite regularly. It is interesting that these types of statements are often made by players who don't play higher limits.
Here is all you need to know. Limit play is limit play wherever you go. I think the Beatles wrote a song about it. It doesn't matter if you are playing $2/4 limit at Hollywood Park or $400/800 limit in Geneva, it is all relative. Players who sit in limit games tend to gravitate to levels that they feel comfortable with. The amount of money doesn't matter because their games tend to be the same. There are loose players, there are tight players and there are a whole bunch in the middle. This disparity of players can be found at every level.
If you are a loose player who can only afford to buy in for two hundred dollars at a time, you will play loose and wild probably at a $5/10 game. If you are a loose player who can only afford to buy in for one thousand dollars, you will probably play loose and wild at a $20/40 game. The limit doesn't matter. The amount of money is relative to the bankroll of the player. I watched a crazy $400/800 limit game on television not too long ago where pretty much everybody at the table was determined to see flops. They didn't care how many raises went in pre-flop. They wanted to play.
Don't craft your game in the lower limits thinking that you are becoming a great player and you will be rewarded when you move up because there will be less maniacs trying to suck out on you. They exist at every level. Play your best game always and learn how to read other players. That way it won't matter what level you play. You want to be able to play well and make good decisions against a multi-player game just as you would in a tight match up.
Limit players are limit players wherever you go. Limit poker is a great game. Learn to master it and don't worry about classifying things that you don't have any control over. If you want tighter games at the levels that you play, then look for them. If you can't find them, get good at the games that are available to you until you are able to find games where you will have an even greater edge. No matter what, the more you practice and play, the better you will become. The skills you develop will be available to you at every level of play.
Poker Secret: Make Friends at the Poker Table?
I have often been proud of the fact that I get along well with people. If you put me in a room with groups of folks I don't know, I can find new friends. It is a gift. I have always enjoyed finding the best in people. It also happens to be something that serves me well at a poker table.
It did take a little time. When I first started playing poker, I wasn't sure how to interact at the table. After all, when you sit down, you are telling everyone there that you would like to make some money and it has to come from somewhere. The fact that you are sitting down to take other people's money sometimes makes it difficult for them to see you as a friend.
There are of course, many people who will not want to have anything to do with you at a poker table. They get into their game and they are not there to make friends. That's fine. You don't need them. You really don't need any of them. But if you can get to know a couple of them it can help.
In particular, you may want to consider getting to know the person immediately to your left. This can come in handy especially when you are in late position. For example, if the person to your left happens to be an aggressive player, you will probably not want to be raising at all of the typical moments that you normally would. The reason for this is that you might choose to allow the aggressive player to raise for you. This would then allow you to re raise when the bet came back around to you, which in turn builds a nice pot and represents a very strong hand.
If you were to find out that the player to your immediate left is a very tight player, than by raising you can always gauge the strength of his/her hand. This will be extremely valuable especially when you are in late position and it is left to you to open the betting.
More importantly of course, if you can make friends with the player to your right, you may be able to get what I call the "unimaginable." That is information you would never receive unless you were friends. For example, you are in middle position with an OK hand and you want to limp in and see if you can flop a monster. You do not however want to have to call a subsequent raise from any player behind you. If you were a friend with the player on your left you could actually ask before you put your chips in if they were going to raise or not and they will probably tell you. Now, they could always raise regardless, but you will be able to get some kind of read that otherwise would be unavailable. A lot of the time they will tell you they were going to fold anyway.
By making friends with the players around you, you can get a lot of information about how they will play subsequent hands and why they make the decisions that they do. Very often, friendly players can't help but share their wisdom and their opinions. It is only the very best that are able to sit and chat with you continuously without talking about the game at hand. When they do start talking about the game, that is when you start gaining information.
Don't get me wrong. There will be times when you sit down and you won't want to have anything to do with the people around you. They may be drunks, they may be abusive or just down right ridiculous. Whatever the reason, don't always feel like you have to make friends. I have just found that most of the time, it is more beneficial than it is hurtful. You should also keep in mind that if you are probing for information, try not to be too obvious or loud. You don't want to share that information with everyone else at the table.
So get out there and work on your people skills.
It did take a little time. When I first started playing poker, I wasn't sure how to interact at the table. After all, when you sit down, you are telling everyone there that you would like to make some money and it has to come from somewhere. The fact that you are sitting down to take other people's money sometimes makes it difficult for them to see you as a friend.
There are of course, many people who will not want to have anything to do with you at a poker table. They get into their game and they are not there to make friends. That's fine. You don't need them. You really don't need any of them. But if you can get to know a couple of them it can help.
In particular, you may want to consider getting to know the person immediately to your left. This can come in handy especially when you are in late position. For example, if the person to your left happens to be an aggressive player, you will probably not want to be raising at all of the typical moments that you normally would. The reason for this is that you might choose to allow the aggressive player to raise for you. This would then allow you to re raise when the bet came back around to you, which in turn builds a nice pot and represents a very strong hand.
If you were to find out that the player to your immediate left is a very tight player, than by raising you can always gauge the strength of his/her hand. This will be extremely valuable especially when you are in late position and it is left to you to open the betting.
More importantly of course, if you can make friends with the player to your right, you may be able to get what I call the "unimaginable." That is information you would never receive unless you were friends. For example, you are in middle position with an OK hand and you want to limp in and see if you can flop a monster. You do not however want to have to call a subsequent raise from any player behind you. If you were a friend with the player on your left you could actually ask before you put your chips in if they were going to raise or not and they will probably tell you. Now, they could always raise regardless, but you will be able to get some kind of read that otherwise would be unavailable. A lot of the time they will tell you they were going to fold anyway.
By making friends with the players around you, you can get a lot of information about how they will play subsequent hands and why they make the decisions that they do. Very often, friendly players can't help but share their wisdom and their opinions. It is only the very best that are able to sit and chat with you continuously without talking about the game at hand. When they do start talking about the game, that is when you start gaining information.
Don't get me wrong. There will be times when you sit down and you won't want to have anything to do with the people around you. They may be drunks, they may be abusive or just down right ridiculous. Whatever the reason, don't always feel like you have to make friends. I have just found that most of the time, it is more beneficial than it is hurtful. You should also keep in mind that if you are probing for information, try not to be too obvious or loud. You don't want to share that information with everyone else at the table.
So get out there and work on your people skills.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Poker Secret: Beware The Queen of Hearts
It was a beautiful day on the strip in Vegas and what better way to spend it than inside away from the sun, sitting at a poker table playing cards. I was in a great frame of mind and decided to go into the Bellagio to play some $10/20 limit.
The table was made up of what I would call a good mix of players. There were a couple tourist types who were playing every hand. They were having a few drinks and just having a good time. There were a handful of OK players who were doing their best to appear as though they knew what they were doing and going out of their way not to play too stupid. Finally, there were a couple really good players who also appeared to be controlling the table to a certain extent.
For a little while when I first sat down, the chips were not flowing in any particular direction. Everyone seemed to have their share of wins. There were a couple players who definitely were not doing well at all but aside from them, nobody else was really running away with it. I was doing alright. I had not played many hands for the first hour or so and might have been up a little bit.
Not too long after, the gentleman to my immediate right got up and decided to call it a day. I really wasn't even paying that much attention at that time, I was more focused on the play that was going on. The person who filled his seat turned out to be a woman. She was a beautiful woman. She had long red hair and big green eyes and was very shapely and knew how to dress herself up. She was wearing a low cut top with a blazer and fitted slacks. She was very well put together in every way and she knew it.
It wasn't long before I struck up a conversation with her. I found out she was in town with some girl friends. They had decided to make it a "girls" trip and they were having a great time catching shows and playing lots of table games.
She mentioned that she really enjoyed poker and that it was her first time playing poker in Vegas although she had visited before. From her play, I could tell that she had definitely played somewhere before.
The conversation with her stayed light and fluid for what must have been another hour at least. I decided to get up and get something to eat. When I sat down with a banquet burger I realized that I had not played a hand for almost the entire time that she had been sitting next to me. This wasn't necessarily because I was getting cold cards, I was so distracted by this woman, that I had decided unconsciously that I wasn't going to play. I was having a much better time just chatting with her.
In the meantime, I have no idea how many pots I missed out on. I also suddenly realized that I stopped watching the game. This meant that I wasn't focusing on my opponents and their style of play and therefore, I was missing out on some very valuable information. I also couldn't even remember the kinds of hands I was folding before the flop.
On occasion, a beautiful woman will have this affect on a player. A lot of the time, these are very smart women who know exactly what they are doing. When I returned to the table she was still playing so I grabbed my chips and wished her a good day. The best thing I could do was leave the table. Clearly, I was distracted by this woman and it was cutting into my stack.
If you find yourself sitting at a table with somebody that you find so attractive that it is getting you off your game, go home or just try another table. I usually prefer to leave all together because I might find myself at another table still trying to catch a glimpse of her. She might have just been there having fun but I wasn't about to watch my stack slowly bleed away because I wasn't concentrating on the game. It's always nice to have an attractive person at the table, as long as they aren't putting you of your game. Trust me on this one, save the socializing for the bar and always bring your best game to the poker table.
The table was made up of what I would call a good mix of players. There were a couple tourist types who were playing every hand. They were having a few drinks and just having a good time. There were a handful of OK players who were doing their best to appear as though they knew what they were doing and going out of their way not to play too stupid. Finally, there were a couple really good players who also appeared to be controlling the table to a certain extent.
For a little while when I first sat down, the chips were not flowing in any particular direction. Everyone seemed to have their share of wins. There were a couple players who definitely were not doing well at all but aside from them, nobody else was really running away with it. I was doing alright. I had not played many hands for the first hour or so and might have been up a little bit.
Not too long after, the gentleman to my immediate right got up and decided to call it a day. I really wasn't even paying that much attention at that time, I was more focused on the play that was going on. The person who filled his seat turned out to be a woman. She was a beautiful woman. She had long red hair and big green eyes and was very shapely and knew how to dress herself up. She was wearing a low cut top with a blazer and fitted slacks. She was very well put together in every way and she knew it.
It wasn't long before I struck up a conversation with her. I found out she was in town with some girl friends. They had decided to make it a "girls" trip and they were having a great time catching shows and playing lots of table games.
She mentioned that she really enjoyed poker and that it was her first time playing poker in Vegas although she had visited before. From her play, I could tell that she had definitely played somewhere before.
The conversation with her stayed light and fluid for what must have been another hour at least. I decided to get up and get something to eat. When I sat down with a banquet burger I realized that I had not played a hand for almost the entire time that she had been sitting next to me. This wasn't necessarily because I was getting cold cards, I was so distracted by this woman, that I had decided unconsciously that I wasn't going to play. I was having a much better time just chatting with her.
In the meantime, I have no idea how many pots I missed out on. I also suddenly realized that I stopped watching the game. This meant that I wasn't focusing on my opponents and their style of play and therefore, I was missing out on some very valuable information. I also couldn't even remember the kinds of hands I was folding before the flop.
On occasion, a beautiful woman will have this affect on a player. A lot of the time, these are very smart women who know exactly what they are doing. When I returned to the table she was still playing so I grabbed my chips and wished her a good day. The best thing I could do was leave the table. Clearly, I was distracted by this woman and it was cutting into my stack.
If you find yourself sitting at a table with somebody that you find so attractive that it is getting you off your game, go home or just try another table. I usually prefer to leave all together because I might find myself at another table still trying to catch a glimpse of her. She might have just been there having fun but I wasn't about to watch my stack slowly bleed away because I wasn't concentrating on the game. It's always nice to have an attractive person at the table, as long as they aren't putting you of your game. Trust me on this one, save the socializing for the bar and always bring your best game to the poker table.
Chris Ferguson Poker Challenge is Virtually Impossible
Some time ago a friend of mine approached me with a plan. He had read a story about Chris Ferguson and he wanted to try it out. Basically, without investing a penny, Chris Ferguson allegedly went from absolutely nothing online to having twenty thousand dollars. When he hit his 20K goal, he donated it to charity.
The way in which he achieved this was by sticking to a few basic rules of bankroll management. First off he would never sit down to any cash game or sit n go with more than 5% of his bankroll. He would never sit in a multi-table tournament with more than 2% of his bankroll. Also, if he was in a no limit or pot limit game and the money he had on the table was equal to 10% of his bankroll he had to leave. I'm pretty sure those were the rules. For the most part, I agree that those rules are a really good strategy. In fact, I implement a very similar bankroll management strategy that I would advise all players to try out.
In the meantime, my buddy is trying to do it and he is getting nowhere quickly. The hardest part is getting started because you have to compete in a freeroll tournament where there is some cash for the top finishing players. Usually it is a few bucks but only up top. It's really hard to get up there because you are playing against thousands of other players who just don't care because it is a freeroll so everyone is playing crazy hoping to grab a lot of chips fast.
Before I forget, Ferguson also mentioned that he never played for more than ten hours a week trying this out. This becomes a critical factor in my assessment.
I decided to try it out as well just to see if I could go further faster than my buddy. Well, I was running into the same kind of problems. I couldn't even get those first couple of bucks because I kept getting my big hands crushed by some guy who would go all in with 8, 3 off because he just didn't care.
Finally, I managed to finish in the money. It took weeks of periodic play. I now had $1. That was my best finish so far. So I decided to try to implement Ferguson's play and see what I could do. Another point to be noted, Ferguson allowed an exception to his rules in order to get started whereby he could always enroll in a tournament or game for a minimum of $1. This obviously makes sense since in the beginning he would never have enough to satisfy the rules. So I decided to go hit the tables.
I took my $1 to some micro limit hold em games and went at it. I could not move forward to save my life. The rake is so huge in relation to the pots at the micro limits that even when you win, you are barely moving. Needless to say it wasn't long before that $1 was gone. It was back to the freerolls. I finally had a good finish and managed to take home $5. I figured this would give me a little breathing room. I was able to take down a couple sit n gos and start to move it forward in the small limit games. My strategy was to win a few cents at a time and see what happened. I didn't care how long it took.
Although I was able to move up a little bit, most of the time I would just keep sliding back down. The beats on line at the lower limits are ridiculous because everyone plays like its play money because for the most part it is. Everyone down there is just playing for fun and I can't blame them. The same thing was going on in the tournaments. Even when I was going strong in a tournament, it took several hours and even after that, I wouldn't necessarily finish in the money. In a tournament you always need a little luck and if it doesn't come, you don't get paid. After playing only one multi-table tournament and a few sit and gos there wasn't much time left in the ten hour allotment for the week. I would have to wait for the following week. Usually, the same patterns would repeat.
All this to say, I don't really think it is possible to do what Ferguson did without a little help. Perhaps people saw him playing at their tables and would lay off. Even more diabolical, perhaps the site he was doing this at was helping him out. He obviously has an endorsement deal with the site. I don't know what it was, but I feel safe in saying that it is just too hard in the low limits to move forward on a regular basis and there are just too many people playing for fun down there for you to ever have an edge or chance of building a roll. Remember, this is all in conjunction with Ferguson's rules, if you stick to them, I strongly believe it is impossible to do what he did. If any of you have done otherwise, I would love to see your results. If you are thinking about trying to do it...best of luck!
The way in which he achieved this was by sticking to a few basic rules of bankroll management. First off he would never sit down to any cash game or sit n go with more than 5% of his bankroll. He would never sit in a multi-table tournament with more than 2% of his bankroll. Also, if he was in a no limit or pot limit game and the money he had on the table was equal to 10% of his bankroll he had to leave. I'm pretty sure those were the rules. For the most part, I agree that those rules are a really good strategy. In fact, I implement a very similar bankroll management strategy that I would advise all players to try out.
In the meantime, my buddy is trying to do it and he is getting nowhere quickly. The hardest part is getting started because you have to compete in a freeroll tournament where there is some cash for the top finishing players. Usually it is a few bucks but only up top. It's really hard to get up there because you are playing against thousands of other players who just don't care because it is a freeroll so everyone is playing crazy hoping to grab a lot of chips fast.
Before I forget, Ferguson also mentioned that he never played for more than ten hours a week trying this out. This becomes a critical factor in my assessment.
I decided to try it out as well just to see if I could go further faster than my buddy. Well, I was running into the same kind of problems. I couldn't even get those first couple of bucks because I kept getting my big hands crushed by some guy who would go all in with 8, 3 off because he just didn't care.
Finally, I managed to finish in the money. It took weeks of periodic play. I now had $1. That was my best finish so far. So I decided to try to implement Ferguson's play and see what I could do. Another point to be noted, Ferguson allowed an exception to his rules in order to get started whereby he could always enroll in a tournament or game for a minimum of $1. This obviously makes sense since in the beginning he would never have enough to satisfy the rules. So I decided to go hit the tables.
I took my $1 to some micro limit hold em games and went at it. I could not move forward to save my life. The rake is so huge in relation to the pots at the micro limits that even when you win, you are barely moving. Needless to say it wasn't long before that $1 was gone. It was back to the freerolls. I finally had a good finish and managed to take home $5. I figured this would give me a little breathing room. I was able to take down a couple sit n gos and start to move it forward in the small limit games. My strategy was to win a few cents at a time and see what happened. I didn't care how long it took.
Although I was able to move up a little bit, most of the time I would just keep sliding back down. The beats on line at the lower limits are ridiculous because everyone plays like its play money because for the most part it is. Everyone down there is just playing for fun and I can't blame them. The same thing was going on in the tournaments. Even when I was going strong in a tournament, it took several hours and even after that, I wouldn't necessarily finish in the money. In a tournament you always need a little luck and if it doesn't come, you don't get paid. After playing only one multi-table tournament and a few sit and gos there wasn't much time left in the ten hour allotment for the week. I would have to wait for the following week. Usually, the same patterns would repeat.
All this to say, I don't really think it is possible to do what Ferguson did without a little help. Perhaps people saw him playing at their tables and would lay off. Even more diabolical, perhaps the site he was doing this at was helping him out. He obviously has an endorsement deal with the site. I don't know what it was, but I feel safe in saying that it is just too hard in the low limits to move forward on a regular basis and there are just too many people playing for fun down there for you to ever have an edge or chance of building a roll. Remember, this is all in conjunction with Ferguson's rules, if you stick to them, I strongly believe it is impossible to do what he did. If any of you have done otherwise, I would love to see your results. If you are thinking about trying to do it...best of luck!
Online Poker Has Changed Completely
I have never been a big fan of the online poker experience. When I play, I like to be able to see my opponents and the cards. Playing online I realize I am just a part of a computer program and as such, I feel like I am just giving up a tremendous amount of control. There have been plenty of stories about scandal with online sites and how there are "bot" players that are sent in to mop up everyone else. I never heard these kinds of stories in all the years I have been playing in casinos.
There was a period of time a few years back when the online poker sites were just getting popular and it seemed like everyone was trying it out. It was great because you never had to leave your home and could play virtually whenever you wanted. The other fun thing about online play was the fact that you got dealt so many hands so quickly that you could get done whatever you wanted in a short period of time and then have the rest of the day to do whatever else you wanted.
A few years back I went on a pretty good run online for about seven or eight months. I stuck primarily to limit hold em and I wouldn't play for more than an hour at a shot. I made money most of the time. Then a strange thing started to happen. Regardless of what I tried, or how many other people were in a hand with me, suddenly, it was almost impossible to win. I started to slide and my sits went from averaging an hour to about fifteen minutes. The reason for that was because I had a rule. If I took two bad beats in a row at a given table I would change tables. If I had to change tables more than twice, I was done for the day. Needless to say, I started finishing up very quickly. Before I took any serious loss to the bankroll I had built up, I cashed out and called an end to my regular online playing.
I would still drop in from time to time but it was never the same. It was always difficult to win. What really turned me off was the number of times I was going to a flop with only one other player and losing every time. That's enough to turn anybody off the game for a long time. I resolved that I would only try the game out for tournaments and not risk any of my roll on line anymore.
As it turns out, most of my play was in casinos and I really would not go to online play much at all. Recently however, I dropped in to one of my old online haunts just to see what was happening. Turns out everything has changed. There are only a fraction of as many players at the site anymore. I'm sure the Federal government outlawing certain Internet cash transfers for Americans had something to do with that. However, it seems like there is more going on.
When I went to the old limit games that I used to play which was $10/20, I found that most of the time there wasn't any game available. This in comparison to a time when there were so many tables and not a single seat because it was so busy. Now, nothing. Not only that, when I did see a game start up, it was the tightest play I had ever seen.
It would appear that a lot of players have started to feel the same way about online play. Clearly, they are not interested and the beats the sites were handing out became too much and too unusual to stick around. The sites appear to be only a shadow of what they once were. To be honest, I think they are getting what they deserve. If you asked me, I'd say stick to games where you can see your opponents and watch the deck being dealt out.
There was a period of time a few years back when the online poker sites were just getting popular and it seemed like everyone was trying it out. It was great because you never had to leave your home and could play virtually whenever you wanted. The other fun thing about online play was the fact that you got dealt so many hands so quickly that you could get done whatever you wanted in a short period of time and then have the rest of the day to do whatever else you wanted.
A few years back I went on a pretty good run online for about seven or eight months. I stuck primarily to limit hold em and I wouldn't play for more than an hour at a shot. I made money most of the time. Then a strange thing started to happen. Regardless of what I tried, or how many other people were in a hand with me, suddenly, it was almost impossible to win. I started to slide and my sits went from averaging an hour to about fifteen minutes. The reason for that was because I had a rule. If I took two bad beats in a row at a given table I would change tables. If I had to change tables more than twice, I was done for the day. Needless to say, I started finishing up very quickly. Before I took any serious loss to the bankroll I had built up, I cashed out and called an end to my regular online playing.
I would still drop in from time to time but it was never the same. It was always difficult to win. What really turned me off was the number of times I was going to a flop with only one other player and losing every time. That's enough to turn anybody off the game for a long time. I resolved that I would only try the game out for tournaments and not risk any of my roll on line anymore.
As it turns out, most of my play was in casinos and I really would not go to online play much at all. Recently however, I dropped in to one of my old online haunts just to see what was happening. Turns out everything has changed. There are only a fraction of as many players at the site anymore. I'm sure the Federal government outlawing certain Internet cash transfers for Americans had something to do with that. However, it seems like there is more going on.
When I went to the old limit games that I used to play which was $10/20, I found that most of the time there wasn't any game available. This in comparison to a time when there were so many tables and not a single seat because it was so busy. Now, nothing. Not only that, when I did see a game start up, it was the tightest play I had ever seen.
It would appear that a lot of players have started to feel the same way about online play. Clearly, they are not interested and the beats the sites were handing out became too much and too unusual to stick around. The sites appear to be only a shadow of what they once were. To be honest, I think they are getting what they deserve. If you asked me, I'd say stick to games where you can see your opponents and watch the deck being dealt out.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dress For Success At the Poker Table
When I first started playing poker, I received what I thought at the time was some good advice. I dropped into the Golden Nugget to play some $5/10 limit, ordered and iced tea and sat down. I was wearing walking shorts and a t-shirt and I must have looked tired because whatever I did other players always stuck with me or tried to bet me off my hand. I took a break and went to grab something to eat when a gentleman who had been playing at my table approached me.
He mentioned that he felt like the other players were really coming after me and he thought it was kind of funny because it didn't matter what I did they either didn't believe me or felt inclined to draw me out. He said he thought it was because of how I was dressed. I wasn't sure what to make of his comment. He said that I looked like a tourist, which I was at the time, and he figured the regulars at the table were gunning for me believing that I didn't know what I was doing or that I was just playing for fun. His advice was to try out darker or more neutral colors and to stay away from the shorts and t-shirts.
At the time I figured it was pretty good advice. After that day, I would generally only show up wearing slacks and mostly browns and blacks. Once in a while I would throw the baseball cap on as well. I did notice a change at the tables. Other players started taking me a little more seriously and it didn't seem like the entire table would come after me every time I was in a pot. This made me happy and I figured I was on to something.
However, several months ago I was playing in a $10/20 limit game when a gentleman joined the table. He was heavy set and he was wearing cargo shorts, flip flops and a colorful cap tipped upwards. He was quite jovial and was friendly with virtually everyone who he chose to speak to. When he wasn't in the hand he would joke with the dealer and send out good wishes to those who were playing. He was a likable character.
There was something more interesting however. He wasn't playing many hands. When he did play, his hands were premium and he played them hard and he got action. Afterwards I noticed that he had taken down several pots and was preparing to call it a day. It was something new that I had realized. He was a very good player. However, he wanted to get action and not let on that he was a regular. His attire clearly made him appear to be a tourist but in fact, he was anything but. So it would appear that he chose to use his appearance to his advantage. It probably ended up making him considerably more money than he would have made if he looked all serious and professional.
There you have it. Depending upon your plan of attack, dress accordingly. Always remember that guy you think is a tourist may just be a lot more than you bargained for.
He mentioned that he felt like the other players were really coming after me and he thought it was kind of funny because it didn't matter what I did they either didn't believe me or felt inclined to draw me out. He said he thought it was because of how I was dressed. I wasn't sure what to make of his comment. He said that I looked like a tourist, which I was at the time, and he figured the regulars at the table were gunning for me believing that I didn't know what I was doing or that I was just playing for fun. His advice was to try out darker or more neutral colors and to stay away from the shorts and t-shirts.
At the time I figured it was pretty good advice. After that day, I would generally only show up wearing slacks and mostly browns and blacks. Once in a while I would throw the baseball cap on as well. I did notice a change at the tables. Other players started taking me a little more seriously and it didn't seem like the entire table would come after me every time I was in a pot. This made me happy and I figured I was on to something.
However, several months ago I was playing in a $10/20 limit game when a gentleman joined the table. He was heavy set and he was wearing cargo shorts, flip flops and a colorful cap tipped upwards. He was quite jovial and was friendly with virtually everyone who he chose to speak to. When he wasn't in the hand he would joke with the dealer and send out good wishes to those who were playing. He was a likable character.
There was something more interesting however. He wasn't playing many hands. When he did play, his hands were premium and he played them hard and he got action. Afterwards I noticed that he had taken down several pots and was preparing to call it a day. It was something new that I had realized. He was a very good player. However, he wanted to get action and not let on that he was a regular. His attire clearly made him appear to be a tourist but in fact, he was anything but. So it would appear that he chose to use his appearance to his advantage. It probably ended up making him considerably more money than he would have made if he looked all serious and professional.
There you have it. Depending upon your plan of attack, dress accordingly. Always remember that guy you think is a tourist may just be a lot more than you bargained for.
Poker Talk: How Well Does It Work
There have been countless poker games that I have sat in on where there was all kinds of conversation going on. Sometimes people will be talking about their families, other times they will be discussing their jobs. It isn't uncommon for people to just start talking about current events and to have a very casual demeanour about them. A lot of time, especially in lower limit games, people will talk about poker.
People love to talk about poker. I find that the lower limit you are playing in, the more advice the poker players at the table are willing to share. They always like to give their opinion about how well other people at the table are playing. These kinds of players will especially enjoy talking about how other players should have played previous hands.
Sometimes people who talk a lot at a poker table suddenly stop talking once they decide to participate in a hand. Other players suddenly talk more when they are playing. All of these players seem to be implementing some kind of strategy that they believe works for them. The question of whether you should talk at a poker table and how you should talk has always been interesting to me.
By no means should you ever sit down and completely fight the urge to say anything at all. If you sit in a game in complete silence, especially if you are a tight player, people will read you as very serious and always put you on monster hands when you play and in all likelihood you will not get much action. I've always enjoyed being natural at the table. I will talk about all kinds of things but I will almost never comment on the game. The reason is simple. I don't want people knowing how I think when it comes to the game. I also don't want to be encouraging bad players to play better.
I've never understood why anyone would lecture a bad player about a bad play. Whey on earth would you want them to improve? I know it usually happens after they lay a bad beat on somebody but that will not be the rule. Most of the time, bad play will pay you off, so stay away from the lectures. I also love when another player will say "I would've done this..." or "I did that because.." Some people can't help themselves and if you pay attention, you will get a great line on their play. So I never discuss my play at all.
I like to keep the people around me relaxed so that they feel more inclined to share information with me. It will improve my game and give me an edge. I will stick to talking about the weather or sports or something else. You should also be aware that if you are talking, other people will be putting reads on you. They will be trying to figure out what kind of player you are and the more you chatter, the easier that becomes. Unless of course you are setting them up, in which case, good on you. Most people however, are not good at that. It takes practice.
So in summary, I wouldn't be completely quiet but I wouldn't be a chatter box either. I will always encourage conversation from other people and I am constantly using chatter to gain information and appear relaxed. The more confident and relaxed I appear, I find the more respect my play receives. That's just me. It could change on any given day and I will adapt my table talk accordingly. Keep these tips in mind the next time your neighbour asks "So where are you from?"
People love to talk about poker. I find that the lower limit you are playing in, the more advice the poker players at the table are willing to share. They always like to give their opinion about how well other people at the table are playing. These kinds of players will especially enjoy talking about how other players should have played previous hands.
Sometimes people who talk a lot at a poker table suddenly stop talking once they decide to participate in a hand. Other players suddenly talk more when they are playing. All of these players seem to be implementing some kind of strategy that they believe works for them. The question of whether you should talk at a poker table and how you should talk has always been interesting to me.
By no means should you ever sit down and completely fight the urge to say anything at all. If you sit in a game in complete silence, especially if you are a tight player, people will read you as very serious and always put you on monster hands when you play and in all likelihood you will not get much action. I've always enjoyed being natural at the table. I will talk about all kinds of things but I will almost never comment on the game. The reason is simple. I don't want people knowing how I think when it comes to the game. I also don't want to be encouraging bad players to play better.
I've never understood why anyone would lecture a bad player about a bad play. Whey on earth would you want them to improve? I know it usually happens after they lay a bad beat on somebody but that will not be the rule. Most of the time, bad play will pay you off, so stay away from the lectures. I also love when another player will say "I would've done this..." or "I did that because.." Some people can't help themselves and if you pay attention, you will get a great line on their play. So I never discuss my play at all.
I like to keep the people around me relaxed so that they feel more inclined to share information with me. It will improve my game and give me an edge. I will stick to talking about the weather or sports or something else. You should also be aware that if you are talking, other people will be putting reads on you. They will be trying to figure out what kind of player you are and the more you chatter, the easier that becomes. Unless of course you are setting them up, in which case, good on you. Most people however, are not good at that. It takes practice.
So in summary, I wouldn't be completely quiet but I wouldn't be a chatter box either. I will always encourage conversation from other people and I am constantly using chatter to gain information and appear relaxed. The more confident and relaxed I appear, I find the more respect my play receives. That's just me. It could change on any given day and I will adapt my table talk accordingly. Keep these tips in mind the next time your neighbour asks "So where are you from?"
Poker Limits are Good For Your Bankroll
There are numerous opinions about setting limits to your play in a cash game with interesting logic behind each one. Often I find that the logic that is applied to the decision of setting limits or not relates to how that particular player wants to play as opposed to how they should play. Here is what you should probably consider doing in regards to limits especially if you are a developing player.
I should clarify that limits for that sake of this discussion relates to putting a limit on your losses during a particular session. It does not relate to the limit game you are playing at. I will save that for another time.
There are many players, pros included, who will say that they don't put a limit on what they could lose for a particular session. Instead, they say they will continue playing as long as they feel they are playing their best game. To me, that type of thinking is inherently flawed. It is great that while you are playing you feel as though you are always playing your best game. That is essential. However, if while you are playing your best game you are tossing your whole roll away, it is probably a good time to call it a day.
There are people who believe that setting a loss limit on a given session limits the way you will play and doesn't give you the opportunity to fight back from the ebb and flow that can be characteristic of a poker sit. This has some truth to it. If you were to sit down and immediately go on a run of cold cards and losing hands that within the first little while you hit your loss limit for that sit and had to go, you might feel completely discouraged. You might start thinking that playing is a waste of time and that you are not giving yourself a chance. You would be wrong.
I have seen players go on monster slides where they have gotten killed for huge amounts of cash and stayed to play until they were tapped out. I've seen losing runs where players determined to get it back, sat hours for marathon sessions just to break even and leave feeling they had done good by themselves. I have seen players go up a little bit and then run losing streaks to the point of getting felted and rebuy multiple times in hopes of getting back to that place of being up a little that never comes. All of these things are unnecessary.
When you are playing poker you can not be caring about the money. If you are concerned about the money, you are losing before you sit down. That may sound contradictory to setting a loss limit but it really isn't. You should play your best possible game without caring about the money. When you do that, you have the best chance of coming out ahead. By setting a loss limit, you allow yourself the opportunity to come back and fight another day. Remember, playing like you don't care about the money is a strategy, your bankroll is still your life blood and you have to be respectful of it. Any given day of play is just one day, you will have an eternity of sits ahead of you where if you are playing your best, you will come out ahead.
You can't win every session. You only need to win most sessions and not loose more than you win. By setting a limit on your losses you protect your bankroll and actually make it easier to play like the money doesn't matter. For example, if you put a loss limit of 4% of your bankroll on any given session, you will never feel fearful about playing hard, smart and aggressive poker because in the event that you do hit your limit, it poses very little risk to your overall roll. That is how the two strategies work well together. Alternatively, if you have no limit, you leave your roll at risk and could hit that slippery slope of playing to get even in a game where that never comes.
Play smart and play solid with a cap on your loss and you won't be afraid to stop and say, there is always tomorrow. With a solid bankroll strategy in relation to your losses, you are sure to have a regular increase in your bankroll over time.
I should clarify that limits for that sake of this discussion relates to putting a limit on your losses during a particular session. It does not relate to the limit game you are playing at. I will save that for another time.
There are many players, pros included, who will say that they don't put a limit on what they could lose for a particular session. Instead, they say they will continue playing as long as they feel they are playing their best game. To me, that type of thinking is inherently flawed. It is great that while you are playing you feel as though you are always playing your best game. That is essential. However, if while you are playing your best game you are tossing your whole roll away, it is probably a good time to call it a day.
There are people who believe that setting a loss limit on a given session limits the way you will play and doesn't give you the opportunity to fight back from the ebb and flow that can be characteristic of a poker sit. This has some truth to it. If you were to sit down and immediately go on a run of cold cards and losing hands that within the first little while you hit your loss limit for that sit and had to go, you might feel completely discouraged. You might start thinking that playing is a waste of time and that you are not giving yourself a chance. You would be wrong.
I have seen players go on monster slides where they have gotten killed for huge amounts of cash and stayed to play until they were tapped out. I've seen losing runs where players determined to get it back, sat hours for marathon sessions just to break even and leave feeling they had done good by themselves. I have seen players go up a little bit and then run losing streaks to the point of getting felted and rebuy multiple times in hopes of getting back to that place of being up a little that never comes. All of these things are unnecessary.
When you are playing poker you can not be caring about the money. If you are concerned about the money, you are losing before you sit down. That may sound contradictory to setting a loss limit but it really isn't. You should play your best possible game without caring about the money. When you do that, you have the best chance of coming out ahead. By setting a loss limit, you allow yourself the opportunity to come back and fight another day. Remember, playing like you don't care about the money is a strategy, your bankroll is still your life blood and you have to be respectful of it. Any given day of play is just one day, you will have an eternity of sits ahead of you where if you are playing your best, you will come out ahead.
You can't win every session. You only need to win most sessions and not loose more than you win. By setting a limit on your losses you protect your bankroll and actually make it easier to play like the money doesn't matter. For example, if you put a loss limit of 4% of your bankroll on any given session, you will never feel fearful about playing hard, smart and aggressive poker because in the event that you do hit your limit, it poses very little risk to your overall roll. That is how the two strategies work well together. Alternatively, if you have no limit, you leave your roll at risk and could hit that slippery slope of playing to get even in a game where that never comes.
Play smart and play solid with a cap on your loss and you won't be afraid to stop and say, there is always tomorrow. With a solid bankroll strategy in relation to your losses, you are sure to have a regular increase in your bankroll over time.
Poker on Television is Very Different from The Game You Play
It is amazing to me how often I will be in a game where somebody will do something ridiculous and claim it is how some pro would play the same situation. I always enjoy quietly listening to how somebody has watched some player that they admire on television, and then claim to know how they play. You can only tell a little bit about your favourite pros by watching them on television.
There are a few things you have to keep in mind when watching players on television. First of all, many of them are paid to appear. That means exactly what it sounds like. Shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker are television shows first and gaming events second. Meaning, they want to attract a viewing audience so that they can continue to grab their big sponsorship money. They ask professional players that they think will attract a particular demographic to play so that you, the viewing audience, will watch.
Most of the time, the television shows you see have players who are competing with other people's money. They are being given the cash to play. Usually by the producers of the show. Many of the games are not even for real. This is so you can see a lot of exciting moments and watch the big pros that you emulate, do things they normally would not do. Imagine, how long you would watch these guys play on television if they kept getting runs of bad cards and just chose to hardly play. Probably not very long.
When the pros are on television playing for real, again it isn't their money because it is a sponsorship appearance. You have seen these hundreds of times. A pro will be sponsored by a gaming site for example, and they will be wearing a baseball cap or wind breaker with the company's name all over it. That company in turn, pays that player to appear and often gives them the playing money to compete with. It is not often that they are playing with their own money in those situations and again will play differently than if it was their own cash at stake.
The other time to be weary of what you are watching is during tournament play. Usually when you see a pro playing on television, you are seeing how they would play at that stage in a tournament. However, you have to realize first off, that tournament play is very different from cash game play. What you also have to realize is that where you are in a tournament, meaning, early stages as opposed to final table, will vary your style of play. All of this, will be different from how you play in a cash game. Most of the televised tournament play that gets broadcast is final table play. This tends to be more aggressive and open since the players are already in the money and are trying to win the whole thing. You will generally not get to see these players at the early stages because it is boring and not worth televising hours of folding.
Poker on television is also generally a showing of the most interesting hands. You are not getting to see every hand played out. So a player who appears to play a lot of hands on television, isn't actually playing that many hands but rather the show has been edited to appear that way. What you should also be aware of is how these shows are structured. I can assure you that if the session is slow and uneventful, the producers have juiced it up to keep it interesting for viewers.
These are several things you should keep in mind when watching poker on television and play your cash games accordingly. Remember, poker on television is much like most things on television, it is designed to entertain you, not educate you.
There are a few things you have to keep in mind when watching players on television. First of all, many of them are paid to appear. That means exactly what it sounds like. Shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker are television shows first and gaming events second. Meaning, they want to attract a viewing audience so that they can continue to grab their big sponsorship money. They ask professional players that they think will attract a particular demographic to play so that you, the viewing audience, will watch.
Most of the time, the television shows you see have players who are competing with other people's money. They are being given the cash to play. Usually by the producers of the show. Many of the games are not even for real. This is so you can see a lot of exciting moments and watch the big pros that you emulate, do things they normally would not do. Imagine, how long you would watch these guys play on television if they kept getting runs of bad cards and just chose to hardly play. Probably not very long.
When the pros are on television playing for real, again it isn't their money because it is a sponsorship appearance. You have seen these hundreds of times. A pro will be sponsored by a gaming site for example, and they will be wearing a baseball cap or wind breaker with the company's name all over it. That company in turn, pays that player to appear and often gives them the playing money to compete with. It is not often that they are playing with their own money in those situations and again will play differently than if it was their own cash at stake.
The other time to be weary of what you are watching is during tournament play. Usually when you see a pro playing on television, you are seeing how they would play at that stage in a tournament. However, you have to realize first off, that tournament play is very different from cash game play. What you also have to realize is that where you are in a tournament, meaning, early stages as opposed to final table, will vary your style of play. All of this, will be different from how you play in a cash game. Most of the televised tournament play that gets broadcast is final table play. This tends to be more aggressive and open since the players are already in the money and are trying to win the whole thing. You will generally not get to see these players at the early stages because it is boring and not worth televising hours of folding.
Poker on television is also generally a showing of the most interesting hands. You are not getting to see every hand played out. So a player who appears to play a lot of hands on television, isn't actually playing that many hands but rather the show has been edited to appear that way. What you should also be aware of is how these shows are structured. I can assure you that if the session is slow and uneventful, the producers have juiced it up to keep it interesting for viewers.
These are several things you should keep in mind when watching poker on television and play your cash games accordingly. Remember, poker on television is much like most things on television, it is designed to entertain you, not educate you.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Spotting The Fish in Poker is Half The Fun
There is a great line in the movie Rounders where Matt Damon says that if after the first hour at the table you can't spot the sucker, than you are the sucker. It might have been after the first half hour. I'm not sure. In any event, it is still pretty true.
The sucker at a poker game has many different names. Often times they will be called the fish or the bird or a monkey. It is fascinating that they are mostly animal names. At some point I will have to look up the origin of how those names began. As if there was a time that people couldn't find enough other people to play in their poker games and they let their pets sit in. Consequently, the pets played really badly. Hence the origin of the names.
I would imagine that some animal trainers would be quite insulted by the presumption that certain animals are dumb and would make bad card players. I'm sure there are many monkeys that have been trained to do some things that people don't do very well. I understand that some monkeys have even learned how to use modern tools while others have even learned sign language. I guess that is pretty smart.
Regardless of where the name comes from, spotting the sucker or fish or whatever you choose to call them is invaluable. The reason for that is because they will often be the players that you make most of your money from. The better players will take chances from time to time but will not do so if it requires an unreasonable amount of risk. The bad players or fish, can't tell the difference between a bad decision and a good one.
Most of the time it is easy to spot the bad player because they are always taking big chances. They get their money in when they are not favorites to win, or better, they will make moves such as a raise, when they are up against huge hands. You can never get enough of this kind of play. In fact, if I am in a game where there are an abundance of these kinds of players, it is often difficult for me to leave. The reason is obvious. When I win, I will be taking down much larger pots than I should because of my opponents' poor play.
Generally you can't miss the sucker. They go all the way with inside straight draws or they will do the same when they need two perfect running cards to make their hands. They draw to hands that often are not even winners. They will always embrace low percentage possibilities of winning and they make all the classic blunders such as: they call when they should fold or raise, they bet when they should check, they raise when they should fold etc. These are all pretty obvious indicators. This is why it is believed that if you can't spot the sucker at a table, it is probably you.
You should be weary of the fish who is hitting. If the sucker keeps hitting the long shot hands they will start to feel unbeatable. They will inevitably play more hands, they will throw in way more chips than they should and they will act quite often without thinking. This is because they believe they are "on a run" or that "they can't lose". With a player like that there isn't much you can do because they are willing to leave most of the outcome to chance. I would advise you stay clear until they feel their wave has passed. You don't want to start taking consecutive bad beats from a donkey, there's another one of those great names, because it will put you into the wrong frame of mind and you too might start making bad decisions.
Spot the fish and take their money while you can. Stay away while luck is on their side. By making the right decisions in hands with the suckers you will see your bankroll flourish.
The sucker at a poker game has many different names. Often times they will be called the fish or the bird or a monkey. It is fascinating that they are mostly animal names. At some point I will have to look up the origin of how those names began. As if there was a time that people couldn't find enough other people to play in their poker games and they let their pets sit in. Consequently, the pets played really badly. Hence the origin of the names.
I would imagine that some animal trainers would be quite insulted by the presumption that certain animals are dumb and would make bad card players. I'm sure there are many monkeys that have been trained to do some things that people don't do very well. I understand that some monkeys have even learned how to use modern tools while others have even learned sign language. I guess that is pretty smart.
Regardless of where the name comes from, spotting the sucker or fish or whatever you choose to call them is invaluable. The reason for that is because they will often be the players that you make most of your money from. The better players will take chances from time to time but will not do so if it requires an unreasonable amount of risk. The bad players or fish, can't tell the difference between a bad decision and a good one.
Most of the time it is easy to spot the bad player because they are always taking big chances. They get their money in when they are not favorites to win, or better, they will make moves such as a raise, when they are up against huge hands. You can never get enough of this kind of play. In fact, if I am in a game where there are an abundance of these kinds of players, it is often difficult for me to leave. The reason is obvious. When I win, I will be taking down much larger pots than I should because of my opponents' poor play.
Generally you can't miss the sucker. They go all the way with inside straight draws or they will do the same when they need two perfect running cards to make their hands. They draw to hands that often are not even winners. They will always embrace low percentage possibilities of winning and they make all the classic blunders such as: they call when they should fold or raise, they bet when they should check, they raise when they should fold etc. These are all pretty obvious indicators. This is why it is believed that if you can't spot the sucker at a table, it is probably you.
You should be weary of the fish who is hitting. If the sucker keeps hitting the long shot hands they will start to feel unbeatable. They will inevitably play more hands, they will throw in way more chips than they should and they will act quite often without thinking. This is because they believe they are "on a run" or that "they can't lose". With a player like that there isn't much you can do because they are willing to leave most of the outcome to chance. I would advise you stay clear until they feel their wave has passed. You don't want to start taking consecutive bad beats from a donkey, there's another one of those great names, because it will put you into the wrong frame of mind and you too might start making bad decisions.
Spot the fish and take their money while you can. Stay away while luck is on their side. By making the right decisions in hands with the suckers you will see your bankroll flourish.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Poker and Booze Make for a Great Time To Make Money
There have probably been more times than you can remember that you sat down to play and you watched somebody order a drink. Maybe you have even done it yourself. Perhaps you had a long day, or you just wanted to unwind and relax. Whatever the reason, I am positive that you have witnessed people drinking at a poker game. In fact, I would go so far as to say that some people don't play without a drink by their side. A bottle of beer or a mixed drink of some kind with straws or umbrellas can always be seen somewhere at a poker table.
There is good reason for the popularity of alcohol at a poker game. For one thing, depending upon where you play, drinks might be free. That means you can plow them back and only have to worry about tipping your wait staff. You had better be tipping your wait staff. It is typical for many players to enjoy drinking while they play. It relaxes them and sometimes they will have been sitting for a long time. Whatever the reason, alcohol can often be found at the poker table. The issue becomes one of judgement.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys an occasional drink, save it for another time. If you have been sitting in a game for a while and feel like you need a drink, that's actually your body telling you that it is time to get up and go. You can grab a drink after you leave the table. Here is what you need to know. Alcohol is a mood altering depressant drug. Are there any other drugs you would continue to consume while playing? Probably not. Although, on many occasions I have seen players take breaks for that very reason.
If you are going into a depressed state while sitting in a game, you are going from a state of heightened awareness, to one where your cognitive functioning is slowing down. In so doing, your brain is actually functioning slower. Simply put, your judgment is affected and you are unable to make clear decisions. On many occasions I have seen people drinking at the games I am in I will hear them say things like "I didn't realize it was my turn." or "I didn't even see the flush up there." These are all indicative of somebody whose judgement has been impaired.
During the course of a game you have to do your best to maintain your emotional stability and play strategically, deliberately and with careful deduction. Alcohol's first effect as it reaches the outer brain is to distort your judgement and lower your inhibitions. While people may say that a couple drinks relaxes them, as they continue to imbibe alcohol, they become susceptible to feelings of anxiety, depression and uncontrollable aggression. Some might say that an aggressive mind set is good for poker, however, it is only effective if it is controlled aggression. Everything else that comes along with it can only damage your game and reduce the likelihood of a profitable session.
The message is simple. When playing, stay away from the booze. However, a drinker at a table will in all likelihood be a provider for you. They are likely targets for the more attentive players at the table. They will make more mistakes on average and correspondingly, get themselves into more situations that can be profitable for you. So if you are playing with drinkers, watch to see how their games are being affected. If you see they are making a lot of mistakes, get in there and take advantage. Anybody who is willing to get smashed at a poker game knows the risk and deserves to take a beating.
Now I know some of you are saying that you actually play better after a few drinks. In that case, go to it. If you honestly believe that your game improves under the influence of alcohol then don't let me stop you. In fact, I'd love to be at your table if you plan on drinking continuously. Seriously, stick with whatever works. It is simple science that continuous drinking during a poker game will lead to diminished judgement and poor decision making.
Now some of you might be thinking, hang on didn't Scotty Nguyen just take down a bracelet at the World Series HORSE championship this year in Vegas. The answer would be yes. The next question you might have could be, 'wasn't he drunk out of his mind when he did it?' The answer to that is, who knows. He might have been drunk or may not have been. What you need to remember is that Nguyen is a seasoned veteran. He had been to the Series many times before. He had played many of these guys many times before and he really knows what he is doing. If you want to take the chance and get wasted and hope you can play like him, be my guest. I would say that most of the time Scotty knew exactly what he was doing and he had his opponents thinking what he wanted them to in order to take advantage. My advice would be not to use him as an example.
Best idea for the long run is to stay away from drinks at the table, especially if you are building a bankroll. Keep an eye out for those players who are drinking and make reasonable assessments about their play in determining if they are worth going after. If you keep yours eyes clear and your ears open, you will continue to have an edge over players who choose to do otherwise.
There is good reason for the popularity of alcohol at a poker game. For one thing, depending upon where you play, drinks might be free. That means you can plow them back and only have to worry about tipping your wait staff. You had better be tipping your wait staff. It is typical for many players to enjoy drinking while they play. It relaxes them and sometimes they will have been sitting for a long time. Whatever the reason, alcohol can often be found at the poker table. The issue becomes one of judgement.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys an occasional drink, save it for another time. If you have been sitting in a game for a while and feel like you need a drink, that's actually your body telling you that it is time to get up and go. You can grab a drink after you leave the table. Here is what you need to know. Alcohol is a mood altering depressant drug. Are there any other drugs you would continue to consume while playing? Probably not. Although, on many occasions I have seen players take breaks for that very reason.
If you are going into a depressed state while sitting in a game, you are going from a state of heightened awareness, to one where your cognitive functioning is slowing down. In so doing, your brain is actually functioning slower. Simply put, your judgment is affected and you are unable to make clear decisions. On many occasions I have seen people drinking at the games I am in I will hear them say things like "I didn't realize it was my turn." or "I didn't even see the flush up there." These are all indicative of somebody whose judgement has been impaired.
During the course of a game you have to do your best to maintain your emotional stability and play strategically, deliberately and with careful deduction. Alcohol's first effect as it reaches the outer brain is to distort your judgement and lower your inhibitions. While people may say that a couple drinks relaxes them, as they continue to imbibe alcohol, they become susceptible to feelings of anxiety, depression and uncontrollable aggression. Some might say that an aggressive mind set is good for poker, however, it is only effective if it is controlled aggression. Everything else that comes along with it can only damage your game and reduce the likelihood of a profitable session.
The message is simple. When playing, stay away from the booze. However, a drinker at a table will in all likelihood be a provider for you. They are likely targets for the more attentive players at the table. They will make more mistakes on average and correspondingly, get themselves into more situations that can be profitable for you. So if you are playing with drinkers, watch to see how their games are being affected. If you see they are making a lot of mistakes, get in there and take advantage. Anybody who is willing to get smashed at a poker game knows the risk and deserves to take a beating.
Now I know some of you are saying that you actually play better after a few drinks. In that case, go to it. If you honestly believe that your game improves under the influence of alcohol then don't let me stop you. In fact, I'd love to be at your table if you plan on drinking continuously. Seriously, stick with whatever works. It is simple science that continuous drinking during a poker game will lead to diminished judgement and poor decision making.
Now some of you might be thinking, hang on didn't Scotty Nguyen just take down a bracelet at the World Series HORSE championship this year in Vegas. The answer would be yes. The next question you might have could be, 'wasn't he drunk out of his mind when he did it?' The answer to that is, who knows. He might have been drunk or may not have been. What you need to remember is that Nguyen is a seasoned veteran. He had been to the Series many times before. He had played many of these guys many times before and he really knows what he is doing. If you want to take the chance and get wasted and hope you can play like him, be my guest. I would say that most of the time Scotty knew exactly what he was doing and he had his opponents thinking what he wanted them to in order to take advantage. My advice would be not to use him as an example.
Best idea for the long run is to stay away from drinks at the table, especially if you are building a bankroll. Keep an eye out for those players who are drinking and make reasonable assessments about their play in determining if they are worth going after. If you keep yours eyes clear and your ears open, you will continue to have an edge over players who choose to do otherwise.
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